Songs of the Heart
by Wings of Avalon
Summary: What happens when Sora's twin sister comes to live on the Destiny Islands? What secrets is she hiding from her brother...her best friends...and the one she loves? Sequel to Kingdom Hearts II: Another Side, Another Sister. Rated for language and violence.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any part of Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts, or any other affiliation thereof. Any other references such as song lyrics or characters in other games or anime strictly belong to their own creators and not me. However, the original character known as "Geni" does belong to me, and any other fanfiction or fanart based upon that character must have my permission to do so. _

Prologue

In "Kingdom Hearts II: Another Side, Another Sister," it was learned that Sora had a twin sister who had been under a spell of darkness, which he freed her from only days after awakening in the basement of an old mansion in Twilight Town. He learned that half of her heart had been stolen from her when she was just three years old, and had suffered greatly because of it. They grew to be close, and became near inseparable at times. However, Sora had to leave to continue on his mission to find King Mickey and Riku and defeat the evil Organization XIII.

Unbeknownst to Sora, Geni and Riku had become good friends through a dream link during their time spent in the darkness. For them, as time went on, that friendship grew to be a little something more. It was difficult for her to hide her relationship with him, considering they spoke even though Sora thought Riku was no where to be found. He rescued her at Hollow Bastion when Maleficent had her trapped under a falling bridge, and also gave clues to Sora, Donald, and Goofy that they might find the relationship between Twilight Town and the Nobodies.

Towards the end of their journey, Kairi was kidnapped by Axel. Sora and his friends raced to Twilight Town and found the entrance to The World That Never Was inside of the basement where they had originally woken up. Geni ended up following them there, but thought it was safer not to tell anyone that she went in case someone tried to stop her. When in the Nobody's world, they fought Heartless and Nobodies in a race to stop Organization XIII's plans of entering Kingdom Hearts.

Even though they had collected thousands of hearts, Ansem the Wise foiled Xemnas's first plan by the use of his machine that would convert the hearts into data. When it backfired, he disappeared and Riku returned to his original form. At that same moment, Xemnas kidnapped Geni and used her power to try and open the gate a second time. To do this it involved her willingly giving up her heart. However, without a full heart, the gate would not open and she would not survive. Xemnas, in a desperate move, flung himself into the vortex of the ruined heart-shaped moon and merged with Kingdom Hearts. Geni's life force was quickly fading away, so they thought they might be able to find her missing halves inside of Kingdom Hearts while they battled Xemnas.

Xemnas was eventually defeated, but Geni's heart was lost forever. As her friends and family gathered around her still body, four unexpected people showed up. Roxas, Naminé, Axel, and Geni's Nobody Cirèna had brought both halves of her heart back for her and were willing to restore her body for them. In the process, Riku unexpectedly was drawn into Geni's mind, to search for and restore her present state of mind. Once done, Geni woke up and was smothered with gratitude and relief. Humorously, she did not recognize Riku at first and thought him to be a new friend of Sora's –she had never seen his true form before.

The friends' reunions were cut short, however, as the castle around them began to disappear into oblivion. Naminé appeared and opened one last dark portal for them, but Sora and Riku were cut off from the others as the doorway closed prematurely behind them. They then battled Xemnas again, and were thrown into an empty and desolate world for what they thought was eternity. However, a letter from Kairi and a spelled feather from Geni brought the two back into the realm of light where they were reunited with their loved ones.

After a _long_ meeting on the Destiny Islands, it was decided that they would all go back to the Disney Castle and make sure nothing else had happened. Geni, running away to join the fight without telling anyone, got an earful from Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy that lasted for several hours. However, their anger quickly rose and then abated when they learned of her sacrifice and then the joining of her heart halves. Everyone was greatly surprised at finding out she had a Nobody that was half human. However, the most important thing of all is that everyone came back safe and sound.

Now onto the biggest problem of all. Geni had found her biological parents – they _were_ Sora's parents after all. What were they going to do? Queen Minnie and King Mickey had never officially adopted her; they just assumed the role as her caretakers when she came to live with them. However, both Mr. and Mrs. Akeno – Sora's parents – looked into the adoption records and found that no one had chosen to adopt Geni before she had disappeared out of the nursery at the hospital. So at the moment she didn't have any legal guardians. It was then decided that because she and Sora had been away for so long from each other that Geni would split her time between the Destiny Islands and Disney Castle as a custody agreement. However, once school began in the fall, she would enroll at the local high school with Sora.

And now, summer vacation was in full swing for the adolescent residents of the Destiny Islands. When Kairi was kidnapped by Axel, she only had a week or so until the end of the semester. Now, several weeks out, the only thing Sora, Riku, and Geni could do is take the high school entrance exams and wait until September when school started once again. Even for the heroes of the universe, there was no power high or strong enough to allow them any leniency within the school system.

And finally, this is where the sequel begins. It is early in the month of July, the hot days cooled by the gentle breezes off of the ocean. The sun is just rising over the horizon, and not many people are up and about yet. There is, however, one lonely figure walking down the beach, enjoying the warm waves lapping at her bare feet while her face was basking in the warm glow of the sun. It had become her daily routine as of late…


	2. A New Life

Chapter 1

Geni chuckled when she mistakenly disturbed a crab from its mound of sand, and it angrily scuttled away while shaking its pincers at her. This morning, like every other morning since she arrived here, was peaceful and quiet unlike those back at the castle. She knew that in an hour or so everyone would be awake and attending to their daily duties; Sora, on the other hand, would still be snoring away in bed until his stomach woke him up.

So far she had adjusted well to life on the islands. Some things were new to her, like some of the electronic appliances in the kitchen. At the castle mostly everything was done by hand or by magic. She guessed that in a way electricity was a magic unto itself. All she knew is that when she flipped a switch a bright light came on above her, or turned a knob and the stove would get hot in order to cook the food. Sora laughed at her the first time she heard the phone ring – she had nearly dove for cover under the sofa, thinking they were being attacked. But several weeks later, she had adjusted like she had lived here all of her life.

Of course, they were living on isolated islands off of the mainland, so she had not seen everything this world had to offer. Kairi had said something about going to visit a...what was it called? – a "mall?" – this week. She and another girl, Selphie, had been discussing her wardrobe and had titled it "quaintly rustic." Geni assumed it meant that her clothing from the Disney Castle was slightly out of style here. Her entire closet was filled with skirts, dresses, and overall nice clothes; her work clothes and casuals still looked too nice to wear everyday they thought. Watching what the other girls wore made her feel like she was dressing a little _too_ feminine, which was standard back at the castle.

Geni smiled. She had stopped to stand under one of the many palm trees that covered the islands, making the foliage lush and bountiful. To her surprise, she had made many new friends here in a short amount of time. Sora had introduced her to his friends Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie the second day of her stay here. They had wanted to know all about her, what life was like on other worlds, could she really use magic?, and so on. They helped Sora, Riku, and Kairi to show her around the islands and introduce her to new things and people. They had been more than ecstatic to show her "their" island, and all of its hidden wonders.

Even with all of the new and exciting things to do and see here, she still was homesick at times for the hustle and bustle of the Disney Castle. She had kept her promise and called Queen Minnie almost everyday with her crystal ball, letting her know how she was doing. During the day, when she was constantly on the go – having her heart restored to its full form allowed her to do so much now – she didn't stop literally from sun up to sundown. However, when the sun went down and the islands quieted for a peaceful night of sleep, many nights Geni sat up, restless, finding the absolute quiet unsettling at times.

But no matter what happened, there was always one person who was her steady rock in this turbulent sea: Riku. It was almost as if he could see right through her at times, to see what was troubling her with her new situation. He was the first to show her how to do things if she didn't know how, showed her all of the places on the islands, and talked with her when she was feeling homesick. They hadn't spoken out loud that they were together, but everyone assumed so considering how close they always seemed to be.

As she walked along the beach, she looked out across the small bay to the big island. Today, instead of walking along the shore, she had taken her boat out to the little island. It had been a "welcome to the islands" present from Sora, Riku, and Kairi – the same design as their own hollowed out ones. Geni hadn't bothered to tell them she could just use her magic to get there, but didn't want to spoil the wonderful present. As she rounded the edge of the island, lost in thought, she heard small scuffling noises coming from further along the beach. Smiling, she rounded the little plateau of an island where the paopu tree was, and stopped to peak around the corner.

Riku was at his morning meditation training as usual. He was wearing his blue pants and his white tank top, which was already soaked in sweat. This morning he had on a blindfold and was fighting off invisible enemies with some hand-to-hand combat. Geni watched him intently, following his graceful moves. His fists punched and his kicks thrust with such precision and power that it looked like a complex dance of death around his invisible foe. Riku had seemed a little distant from everyone since they had returned; Geni knew he still felt guilty about all of his past actions. He had always assumed it was his fault for destroying the islands in the first place, as well as putting Sora and Kairi through hell and back. As if sensing her thought on this frustration of his, he pummeled his invisible foes even harder.

Geni frowned, seeing this change. _He's knows it wasn't his fault, like me, but I think it's been even harder for him to accept that fact._ Deciding to intervene, she quietly tiptoed around the plateau and slowly approached him. He was completely oblivious to her presence, or so she thought, until she was only a few feet away from him. She readied herself to block him and surprise him, but before she could he suddenly jumped backwards over her head. Before she could spin around, he had pushed her face down onto the sand and was holding down her arms and legs.

"You should have been a little quicker Sora," he said teasingly.

"Ri-mm, get oomph mmm ba-mmm," she mumbled into the sand as she tried to free her flailing appendages. Of course, she could have if she wanted to, but she was looking forward to seeing Riku's surprised face. Also, she was _very_ glad she had decided to wear one of her longer skorts today (for the guys out there – that's a skirt with a pair of shorts attached – hence the name skort).

Riku had been smiling, but stopped when he heard the muffled voice. Sora's voice sounded a little…higher pitched today, for some reason. Keeping one arm and his legs on him, he took his right arm off and slipped his blindfold down to around his neck. Seeing the long braid flapping around below him, he blushed profusely and quickly scrambled off of Geni. She began to shake her head to rid herself of the sand in her hair. Sitting up, she saw a very red Riku.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. I thought –"

She stared at him for a moment before laughing loudly; he sat there like a little boy who had been caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar. Looking at his red and embarrassed face only made her laugh harder, and she clutched her stomach for support.

Riku stared at her, wondering what was so funny. It suddenly dawned on him that she had snuck up on him for the very reason _of_ unnerving him. He smiled, then began to grin dastardly as he slowly stood up. Geni saw him through her tearing eyes, and stopped mid-chuckle. "Um, Riku? I only meant it as a joke, honest…Riku? Riku?" She backed up slowly, unsure of his next actions.

"You have such a sense of humor," he said with a serious face. "But so do I! Blizzaga!" He had stretched his palm out and sent a flurry of ice crystals her way.

Geni quickly stood up and released a barrier. The shards of ice bounced harmlessly off of it. "Hothead! Time to cool off – Waterga!" Geni shot back large streams of water towards him, soaking him fully. Giggling, she began to run for the dock where their boats were tied up. Riku was hot on her trail, his clothes dripping profusely. As she stepped onto the dock, he caught her waist from behind and proceeded to swing her around a few times.

"Ah!" she giggled, as her back was soaked. "Riku, put me down!" He stopped mid-turn and held her up in the air, which was quite easy for him. She was hanging there, about four feet off of the ground.

"As you wish." He let go of her waist and she fell to the ground. She did land on her feet, and quickly turned to face him. "Not fair! Height shouldn't count," she scolded him.

"And good morning to you," he replied. He gave her a soft smile, and her anger abated immediately. "How was your walk?"

"Quiet," she said. "I was just about to head back when I saw you training."

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I was almost finished too when _someone_ decided to interrupt me," he said jokingly. He grabbed part of his shirt and wrung some water out of it. "At least I don't need a shower now."

Sighing, she said "Here, allow me." She whispered a few words, and placed her hand on Riku's chest. Warm light spilled onto his clothes, and in moments he was completely dry again. "All done."

"Thanks," he replied. "Let me get my stuff and I'll head back with you." He quickly ran back to the deck where he had placed his black jacket and his wooden practice blade. Geni waited patiently for him to come back, before she decided to speak her troubling thoughts. When he had returned, she said, "Riku…are you feeling alright?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" He headed over to his canoe and dropped his jacket and sword in the prow.

"You seemed to…overemphasize your punches just a little." Riku was quiet as he undid the knot around the post anchoring his canoe to the dock. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

He looked up at her, his face blank. "No, and you know I would tell you if anything was." He returned to untying the knot. Geni kneeled down next to him, placing her hands over his to pause his movements. He looked up at her, puzzlement on his face.

"Don't blame yourself," she whispered to him, staring into his aquamarine eyes. "No one else does, especially Sora and Kairi." Riku turned his head away, and nodded a little. He was quiet for a moment before he answered her quietly.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that I don't. Everyone has forgiven me except for myself. I don't know if I can, ever." Geni squeezed his hands gently, and leaned her head in to rest it upon Riku's upper arm.

"You are no longer apart of the dark realm. So let it go already. It makes me sad when you beat yourself up like this." He turned, seeing the top of her head. He leaned his head down, and rested it upon hers. He inhaled the salty breeze of the islands in her hair, along with the cherry blossom scented shampoo she loved to use.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "You've always been there to help me through this. I...just need a little more time to get my head straight," he quietly pleaded. He felt another squeeze on his hands.

"I know. It isn't easy to get over something like this, but I know you will." He felt her shift and removed his head. She looked him in the eyes, and smiled. "Well, shall we get going?"

"Yeah." They both stood up, and Riku hopped into his canoe as Geni went and untied hers from the dock. Once in it, they set out for the opposite shore. They paddled in silence, each alone with their thoughts.

As they arrived at the dock and tied their canoes back up, they walked the short distance towards their homes. Ever so gently, Riku slipped his hand into hers as they walked along. Geni blushed slightly, but softly squeezed his hand back. "So, what did you want to do today?"

"Well, Kairi said I'm supposed to meet her at her house a little before nine so we can take the ferry to the mainland. Today's the day she and Selphie are taking me to that…oh, why can I never remember the name of it?"

"The mall?" he supplied.

"Yes! That's it. I believe they want to give me a "complete makeover," or so they said. I'm a little nervous about it, considering some of the fashions I've seen here."

Riku laughed as he gently bumped shoulders with her. "I wouldn't worry; Kairi knows how to keep Selphie in check."

"If you say so," Geni said doubtfully. "Well, I suppose I should go and see if Sora is up. Mrs. Akeno – I mean, Mamoru – left for the clinic early this morning and so I'm making breakfast. Have you had any yet?"

"Not yet," Riku said as he shook his head.

"Would you like some? I'm making pancakes."

"That's okay, I don't want to…"

"Don't worry about it. I usually have to make a dozen or so for Sora anyway. A few more won't hurt." Walking up to their front gate, Geni opened the latch and gently pulled Riku in behind her.

"If you insist…" he said, sounding happily defeated.

"You know, your mom's cooking isn't that bad. Those cookies she made were only half burnt."

"Tell that to my ulcers."

Geni laughed, finally letting his hand go so she could open the door. She dropped her sandals on the welcome mat and proceeded to walk down the hallway. She entered the living room on her left and walked through it into the bright kitchen. She pulled out ingredients, bowls, a griddle, and utensils as if she had lived there all of her life. As she set up, Riku took a seat at the counter, way out of the way. Since he had known her, one of the things she did not like is when people are underfoot who don't need to be while she is working. That doesn't mean that helpers and assistants aren't welcome, but when she can do the task herself quickly and efficiently, she would rather do it alone. _Must be from wanting to do everything for herself all of the time_, he thought to himself.

"Blueberries?"

"Oh, yes please." Riku had been daydreaming as he watched her crack and separate the eggs and add the flour. Once the lumpy batter had been dropped onto the sizzling griddle and the smell began to drift throughout the house, Riku could hear thumping coming from the floor above him.

"I tell you – Sora's built in alarm clock is either his nose or his stomach," she said with a wink. Flipping a few pancakes over, she turned around and got out three place settings and set them around the island countertop. Returning to the pancakes, which were a soft golden brown by this time, she expertly flipped several onto a plate and handed it to Riku. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he said gratefully. Geni had been right about his mother before; she never had been the greatest of cooks unlike his dad. Whenever he had to work late they usually had a frozen dinner or ordered out. He slathered butter and syrup onto them, and dug into the stack with zeal. By this time, he could her someone making their way down the stairs and in moments Sora appeared yawning and stretching.

"Morning Sora," Geni said as she placed yet another stack of pancakes next to Riku.

Sora's reply was a wide open mouthed yawn, his cracking jaw mimicking the reply. Riku laughed as he continued to eat. "Nice to see you up early for once."

"Early?" Sora said sarcastically as he plopped down next to his friend and reached for the syrup. "It's only eight-thirty in the morning. Early for me is usually two hours from now."

They all laughed, the griddle sizzling pleasantly in the background. Geni sat down with two pancakes herself, before adding several more to the quickly disappearing stacks of her friends. They talked about the upcoming day, and what it entailed for each of them. No less than fifteen minutes went by before there was a knock at the front door, and they heard it squeak open. "Sora? Geni? Anybody here?"

"In here Kairi!" Sora called as he tried to tame his wild spikes. Geni and Riku gave each other a look before their red-headed friend stepped into the kitchen.

"Morning everyone!" she said cheerfully. "Ready to go Geni?"

"Just finishing," she replied as she got up from her chair to take her dishes to the sink. Sora had already snitched the last of the pancakes from the griddle, so she quickly cleared the mess and left the dirty dishes next to the sink. "Let me go up and grab my bag," she said as she dashed for the stairs. The three friends watched her go with a smile.

"She's certainly adapted well to life here," Kairi said optimistically.

"Just keep an eye on her when you get to the mainland, okay?" Sora asked. "There isn't much traffic or people around here, but in Tyoko…"

"Don't worry. Selphie and I will show her around. Selphie's really looking forward to today – she said she had emptied her bank at home just for the occasion," Kairi said with a smile.

"I know that Queen Minnie sent some money for her, so that's no problem." Several _thuds_ were heard from upstairs. "I just hope she finds stuff that she likes."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Riku interjected. "The Tyoko mall has so many stores, and some from out of the country, so she's bound to find something." More _thuds_ were heard, but this time they were coming down the stairs. Geni then appeared in kitchen in her brown skort from before and a clean green long-sleeved shirt that flared at the hands, along with her tote bag that clinked merrily.

"All set," she said with a smile. "We should hurry – you said the ferry leaves at nine, and we have only ten minutes to collect Selphie and get there."

Kairi nodded. "Well, then we'll see you guys later! Have fun!"

"Sora, do you mind doing the dishes for me?" Geni added as Kairi was quickly trying to tug her towards the front door.

Sora shook his head. "Go have fun with Kairi and Selphie. We'll meet you at the ferry dock tonight when you get back."

"Don't spend too much," Riku joked as he waved goodbye to the girls who were already walking out of the room. He quieted as he heard the door open and close, and the house was silent once more. Sora was still clearing the table, and was watching his friend closely.

"She'll be fine," he said nonchalantly as he took the plate from Riku's hands. He looked up, surprised.

"Yeah, you're right." He stood up and helped his friend with the small chore, and before long they were finished. "Well, what should we do now?" he said as he dried his hands on a towel.

"Well, we still have to finish the preparations for Kairi's birthday party this weekend. Tidus and Wakka said they would help take the decorations over to the island, Geni said she'll make the food, and Selphie promised to keep Kairi busy and out of the way. So I guess the only thing left would be a present." Sora sighed at this. "I don't even know what to give her."

"How about something homemade?" Riku suggested as he leaned against the countertop with his arms crossed. "She would probably really like anything you made for her."

"That sounds like a good idea…but still, _what_ would I make her?" Both boys furrowed their brows, deep in thought. Being away from the islands and girls for so long had made them a little lacking in that area.

"What about something she can use?" Riku finally suggested. "Maybe a photo album, or a box of some kind."

"Hmm..." Sora mumbled, deep in thought. "Wait, Riku, did you already get her something?"

"Of course. But I took the easy way out – I had my mom pick up a gift certificate to that little store by school she likes, the one where they sell all those handmade accessories," he said, smiling.

"Figures," Sora muttered. He paced back and forth across the kitchen tiles, racking his brain. He stopped suddenly and jumped, almost hitting his head on the overhead light. "I've got it!"

"What?"

"I'll make a photo album from our travels for her. Kairi always said she had wanted to see the places we had. Geni could help out with that, and Jiminy's journal has tons of pictures I could use. We could have Queen Minnie send it to us."

"Sounds good," nodded Riku in agreement. "But Geni's not here and neither of us know how to use that crystal ball of hers to contact the castle."

"Good point," Sora said, slightly deflated. "Wait – does Kairi still have that cell phone her parents got her?"

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Riku quickly walked over to the phone sitting on the counter and quickly dialed Kairi's cell phone. After a few rings, she picked up.

"Ohayou, Kairi speaking." He heard several girls talking in the background.

"Hey Kairi, its Riku. Is Geni there?"

"Yeah, she's right here. Hold on a second." He heard the phone being handed around, and someone saying "hold it like this and talk in this end." After a moment, Geni's voice sounded over the phone.

"Hey Riku. What's the matter?"

"Could we borrow your crystal ball for a phone call to the castle?"

"Sure. I haven't shown Sora how to work it yet, but it's not that hard. I can talk you through it step by step."

"Okay, hold on." Riku put his hand over the speaker. "Geni said she can walk us through it."

Sora nodded. The two boys walked upstairs and into Geni's room, which used to be the guest room. The purple walls now had pictures of friends and family covering them, and a desk and two bookshelves littered with books and other foreign objects. Their target was sitting on the center of her desk, a glass orb that rested on a silk pillow. Sora went and sat down at the desk while Riku stood behind him. "Okay, we're ready."

"Alright, first of all, have Sora picture the castle in his mind, more specifically the person he wants to talk to."

Riku put his hand over the speaker again. "She says to picture the castle in your head and think about Queen Minnie." Sora nodded and squeezed his eyes shut, deep in concentration. "Okay, what next?"

"Have him place his hands on the sides of the crystal, and send a little magic through them like I was showing him the other day." Riku again relayed the directions, and soon a swirling rainbow was beginning to form inside of the orb. "After that, it shouldn't be long before Queen Minnie will know someone's calling and will pick up on her end." As if on cue, the small head of Queen Minnie appeared in the orb.

"Hello? Geni?"

"Oh, it's just us Queen Minnie," Sora answered. He turned around. "We've got a connection – tell Geni thanks for me."

Riku relayed the message. "Sora says to tell you it worked, and thanks."

"Of course. Anything else I can do for you guys?"

"No, that's about it. See you later."

"Alright, bye Riku. Take care."

"You too." Just as Riku was turning off the phone, he smiled when he could hear a tiny voice say "how do you kill this again?" and someone replied "you mean turn it off." He turned back to listen to the conversation Sora was having with Queen Minnie.

"...They left a little while ago, and should be arriving at the mainland within the hour."

"Sounds splendid! So, what can I do for you boys?"

"Well, I wanted to make a photo album for Kairi for her birthday, and was wondering if you could sent us Jiminy's journal or some spare pictures of our friends from the different worlds we've visited."

Queen Minnie looked thoughtful for a moment before she replied. "Of course! I'll send Jiminy's journal and I'll ask Aerith for some photos of them. That should be more than enough. Oh, and you could always ask Geni if you could look through hers when she gets back – I believe she grabbed one or two before she left last time."

"Thanks your majesty! That sounds great," Sora replied happily.

"Alright then. I'll send Jiminy's in a few minutes, and then I'll contact Aerith and send one of theirs." Queen Minnie paused, turning away from the crystal to talk to someone. She turned back, sighing. "I'm going to have to cut this call short, Sora. For some reason the lab Mickey and Donald were working in is billowing blue smoke. Say hello to Geni for me, and tell her to call me when she gets back tonight if she has time."

"Sure thing, Queen Minnie. And thanks again."

"No problem Sora. Ta-ta!" And with that, the crystal ball grew dark before it resumed its clear, see through appearance. Sora turned around and saw Riku leaning up against her dresser. "We're all set. Queen Minnie said she would send the pictures in a little while."

"Good." Riku stood up, and headed for the door with Sora right behind him. "So, want to go spar for a little while? I've already done my early morning training – but I can still kick your butt anytime of the day."

"Bring it on," Sora said with a laugh. The two boys headed out of the house, Sora grabbing his key and locking it behind him. As they walked out of the gate, Sora's neighbor stopped them.

"Sora!" A little old lady was waving at him from her own front gate.

"Good morning Mrs. Phyro. Did you need something?" Sora replied.

Mrs. Phyro shook her head. "No, but could you please let your sister know that my garden needs the weeds pulled again? She did such a wonderful job last time, and with these knees of mine..."

"Of course, I'll let her know when she gets back tonight."

"Oh, you're such a dear Sora. And how are you doing Riku? Both of you are growing into such handsome young men. You know my granddaughter on the mainland..."

Sora and Riku tried not to groan at this. Once Mrs. Phyro started talking, there was no real way to shut her up. Also, she liked trying to hook up all of the young men around the island with her granddaughter who was much older than them anyway. Riku looked around, and happened to see Wakka and Tidus already on the beach. He nudged Sora forward, who looked to see their two friends.

"...And I suppose with all of this sun my tomatoes will be raisins by the end of the week..."

"Oh! I forgot we had to go meet Tidus and Wakka right away for..." Sora interrupted her, stumbling over his excuse.

"For planning a birthday party this weekend. If you'll excuse us, Mrs. Phyro, we have to get going right away." Riku gently pushed Sora forward.

"Oh, of course dearies! Have fun with your young friends!" she called as they quickly walked away. Sora and Riku walked as fast as they could until they were far enough away to both sigh heavily.

"Man, can she talk sometimes. I wonder how Geni puts up with her so often..." Sora exclaimed.

"Well, she puts up with you, doesn't she?" Riku teased.

"Hardy har har," Sora replied. However, by that time they were already on the beach, and Tidus and Wakka had spotted them and were quickly heading over to join them.

"Hey brother! How's it going?" Wakka said as he thumped Sora on the back.

"Good morning, Riku, Sora," Tidus added. "We saw Kairi, Selphie, and Geni leave on the ferry a little while ago."

"Yeah, they're going to mall in Tyoko today. Speaking of which, did you guys get the decorations for this weekend yet?"

"Some of them," Wakka admitted. "We have streamers, balloons, plates, napkins, and silverware, but we still haven't gotten the tiki torches, firewood, or blankets yet. Those we're getting today. Although everybody still has to bring their own sleeping bags."

"Okay. We're still planning on taking everything over there on Friday and setting up, right?" Riku confirmed.

"Yeah. Selphie said she was going to take Kairi to the shops and browse for a while," Tidus answered.

"And Geni said she would make all the food and send it there by magic so we won't have to worry about taking it in the boats," Sora added.

"I guess that's everything then," Riku said as he mentally checked off everything on the list.

"Okay. See you later!" Tidus called as they headed towards town. Sora and Riku then continued to head for their training area. It was towards the less inhabited side of their island, where they knew nothing would get damaged and no one could interrupt them or get hurt. Once there, they spent the better part of the day sparring in hand-to-hand combat, using their wooden blades, or using training with their Keyblades. By the time it was mid-afternoon, Sora and Riku were both drenched in sweat yet again. They were using their Keyblades, and currently were on a standoff with each other.

Panting heavily, Riku eyed Sora and watched his movements carefully. His friend had improved greatly ever since they had reunited after being separated by the door to darkness. Even though they were both only fifteen years old, each was already a seasoned warrior with toned muscles and mind. He smiled, knowing how hard his friend had worked as usual to try and surpass him. "What? Done already Sora?" he panted.

"You wish. I'm just getting started." Sora looked upon his friend, his Keyblade weighing heavily in his hands so much that he had to hold it with both of them. No matter how many times they sparred, it was usually a tie. He breathed hard and deep, looking for an opening to take Riku off guard. Riku's stance was set in a defensive position, his Keyblade crossed in front of him. His stance suddenly gave Sora an idea. Sora decided to try and feign Riku; he made his eyes look towards his left, and shifted his body slightly in the same direction. Riku saw this movement and prepared to block an attack from his right, but as soon as Sora began to move in that direction he put on a quick burst of speed and darted to his own right. Riku immediately saw through his plan, but was too late to stop it. Sora used those precious seconds to thrust at Riku with his Keyblade, sending him flying into the sand. Moments later, the battle had ended with Sora's Keyblade pointing at Riku's chest.

"I win," he said with a grin.

"Lucky shot," Riku said. Sora offered him a hand, and Riku grabbed it and was pulled to his feet. "Good going, though, feigning an attack like that."

"Thanks," Sora said sheepishly. He shook his head, beads of sweat raining off of him. "I think I need either a swim or a shower."

Riku walked over a pulled a watch out of the pile where their jackets were lying and studied it for a moment before replying. "Better make it a shower. The girls are going to be back in a little bit." Sora joined him and picked up his jacket and training equipment.

"Sounds good to me. Plus, those photographs should be here by now. I'd like to get a start on that tonight."

Riku stretched, raising his arms to the sky before he replied. "Have fun with that. My mom wants me to help her clean out the attic tonight. I don't even _want_ to know how many boxes are up there from her collecting phases."

Sora laughed. "What did you think was worse: garden gnomes or miniature dolls?"

He pretended to be thinking hard, earning him a laugh from his friend. "Well, I suppose it would have to be the garden gnomes. Their beady little eyes remind me of Heartless," Riku answered. "Anyway, we had better get going."

"Yeah, you're right." Sora and Riku finished picking up their equipment and clothes and began the trek back to their respective houses. "Hey, Riku..."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering...do you think Kairi will like the present I'm going to make her? I mean, it isn't going to be anything fancy and expensive, but..."

"Sora, get a grip." Riku stopped to look his friend in the eyes. "Kairi will like anything you give her. Don't you remember back in third grade when you made her that clay statue in art class and told her it was her? It was a blob and no one could tell exactly what it was, but Kairi has kept it all these years."

Sora blushed at the memory. He remembered the blob all too well, and when he was older he regretted ever giving it to her. But Riku was right – she had always kept it on her nightstand in her room. "I guess you're right, as usual," Sora murmured. "I just want her first present from me after being gone for so long to be a good one."

"It will be Sora, no matter what you do or get her," Riku finalized. The two of them had stopped at the top of a small cliff that overlooked the ocean. The sun was shining a brilliant orange over the water as it began to drop down below the horizon. "Come on Sora – let's go." The two of them walked in companionable silence until they reached their houses. "I'll meet you at the dock in an hour, okay?"

"Okay. See you then." They waved to each other and Sora walked down his front path and took out his key to open the front door. It was quiet inside, letting Sora know that his parents weren't home from work yet. His mom, Mamoru, worked at the island's only hospital, and his dad worked as an associate at the only bank on the islands. Sora dropped his shoes off at the front door, and proceeded to head upstairs and take a nice, long shower to soothe his aching muscles. As he was grabbing a clean towel from the closet, he happened to look in Geni's room and saw two large volumes sitting on her desk that he hadn't noticed when he had gone in there that morning. Assuming they were the photo albums, he walked in and picked them up and carried them to his own room.

He set them on his own desk, not wanting to dirty them with his sweat and grim. After a long shower, he quickly dried his hair which bounced back into its naturally spiky pattern. Putting on clean clothes and feeling much better than he had, he checked the clock and saw he had a half an hour before he was supposed to meet Geni at the dock. Grinning, he sat down on his bed with the two photo albums and decided to open up Jiminy's journal first. Glancing through it, he was amazed at how much things had changed since first meeting Donald and Goofy back in Traverse Town. Paging through the book, his worries about finding plenty of pictures were quickly abated. There were pictures from all over, including Traverse Town, Wonderland, the Deep Jungle, the Olympus Coliseum and the Underworld, Agrabah, Monstro, Neverland, Atlantica, Halloween Town, the Hundred Acre Wood, Hollow Bastion, Twilight Town, the Disney Castle, the Land of Dragons, the Beast's Castle, Timeless River, the Pride Lands, Port Royale, Space Paranoids, and finally The World That Never Was. Remembering all of his adventures and all of the friends he made put a large smile on his face.

However, all too soon Sora looked up at the clock and realized that if he didn't leave now he would be late. He sighed and closed the album, leaving the other for later. He quickly ran downstairs and slipped on his shoes, and locked the door behind him as he ran out. Running down the street, he took several twists and turns before he entered the business district of the island. People were walking all over the place, trying to get in some last minute shopping. As he passed, some people called out a hello to the spiky-haired boy. Waving back, Sora hurried on to the ferry dock. It was located on the side of the island that faced the mainland, making it easier to transport goods and people. The sun was halfway over the horizon when he thumped onto the pier. He could see Riku waiting at the other end, and a large white sailing vessel heading towards them.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to make it," Riku said as Sora ran up to join him and the other people waiting.

"I was looking at pictures in the photo albums Queen Minnie sent us."

"Anything good?" Riku asked.

"Plenty! I'm not going to have any problems with this project like I had originally thought."

"Well that's good." Turning, the two boys saw that the ferry was pulling up to the dock, and at least a dozen people or more were waiting to get off. They could see Geni, Kairi, and Selphie at the bow of the ship, several shopping bags in each hand. They waved, and Sora saw Kairi wave back at them and then turn to the other two girls. Minutes later, once the ferry was finished docking, the crew put out the gangplank and everyone got off of the ship. The girls were the last ones to disembark, probably because of dozen or so full shopping bags they were carrying.

"Sora!" Geni called to him, sounding pretty happy. She ran over to them, quickly followed by Kairi and Selphie. Her smile reached all the way into her eyes, and Sora could only wonder at the day they had.

"Welcome back," he said. "I see the shopping trip was...rather successful?"

"You should see all of the stores – and in one building too! It was like someone converted the castle into tiny sections for each one. They weren't just clothes either! They had furniture stores, places to get your hair and nails done, restaurants, a movie theater, an arcade, and..."

Sora laughed. "Okay, okay, I get the point. Did you at least find things you liked?"

"You mean what didn't she like?" Kairi interjected. Riku and Sora gave her a quizzical look. "We probably bought something at each store we visited. Geni now has a wardrobe that could rival a celebrity."

"It's not all for her though, don't forget," Selphie added slyly. "We bought plenty of things too." A whistle sounded behind them as the ferry left the dock. "Well, I suppose I had better be getting back. My parents wanted me home for dinner. I'll call you later Kairi." She waved as she left with her two bags.

"Want some help with those?" Riku asked Geni. She had about a dozen bags altogether, and some looked like they were about to slip out of her fingers.

"Thanks," she said gratefully. She handed some of them to Riku. "Much better."

"So how was Tyoko? What did you think of it, considering how large it is?" he asked as they began to head for home. The two of them fell into step next to each other, and Geni excitedly told him about her adventure into the huge city. Kairi and Sora hung back a little, giving their friends some room, but also doing the same for them.

"So, how did it go today?" Sora asked her. He had already offered to carry one of Kairi's bags for her, and it was swinging from his hand at the moment.

"She had such a good time. It was hard to keep up with her at times when she saw anything new. I think we visited almost every store there. She bought plenty of clothes to last her for a long while. We won't have to worry too much about school because of the uniforms, so that worked out well."

"I'm glad," Sora said with a soft smile. "I was worried when it was decided that she would be living here, that it might end up being too difficult for her to adjust to life here. But, of course, I was wrong – she really does fit in anywhere she goes."

"I think she gets that trait from you," Kairi said with a laugh. "But really, she had a great time. She even found a new favorite game in the arcade to play while we were there."

"Really? Which one?"

"Dance Dance Revolution." They both laughed out loud at this. "You should have seen her. She was hitting perfect scores on the most difficult settings."

"Why am I not surprised?" he said with a sigh. Looking ahead of them at Riku and Geni, he was glad to see them smiling and laughing as they walked along. "He really was worried today. He never said it or showed it, but I could tell anyway."

"He's still trying to get his own peaceful life back. After having to fight for your life everyday for a year and a half, it's no wonder he's still worried over little things. But, he's getting better – both of them are."

Sora turned his head to look at Kairi. She was gazing at their friends, a wistful look in her eye. Sora shifted the bag he was holding to his left hand, and gently caught Kairi's in his own. She turned quickly, blushing slightly in the quickly darkening night. "We have you to thank for that. Knowing that you were waiting for us, it pushed us both harder to come back here. It pushed us to finish that final fight, to keep on going, even after we knew there was no where left to go."

"Sora," Kairi murmured quietly. She blushed a darker red, and quickly leaned in and gave Sora a quick peck on the cheek. Sora blushed twice as dark, glad that there weren't any street lights on yet to show off that fact. They had turned onto the street where their houses were, and soon they had stopped at Riku's house where Geni was still talking with him. Seeing Riku look up, she quickly turned around.

"Slow pokes," she said teasingly. "Ready to go Sora?"

"Yeah," he replied. "We had better get home before mom begins to worry." They all nodded; each of their parents worried over them every time they went somewhere nowadays. Because their last adventure had taken them over a year and a half to get home, their parents wanted them back by dinner time and only allowed them out with strict supervision.

"Goodnight Riku," Geni said with a smile.

"Goodnight. See you tomorrow morning," he replied with one of his softer smiles. They stood there, unmoving, until Sora coughed and gently pushed her towards their house next door.

"See you tomorrow Kairi," he called over his shoulder.

Kairi looked at her tall friend as he watched Sora shove Geni into their own house. "You could always go over later, or call them, you know," she suggested.

"Hmm?" Riku looked over at her. "What did you say?"

"Never mind," Kairi said as she shook her head. "See you in the morning Riku."

"Okay, goodnight." Riku waved and headed into his own house. As Kairi was walking away, she slowly reflected on the change in the relationships between her friends. Sora and herself, Geni and Riku – would these new feelings ever blossom into something more? She knew that they were all best friends, inseparable until the end. Their journey as of late had strengthened the bonds between them more than ever. But now...Riku and Geni needed each other because of their past, of the guilt they believed fell upon their shoulders. With time, they could heal each other's internal wounds. Sora...was still her goofily grinning friend whom she never wanted to part with again. He had matured and grown up a little, but the childlike innocence that always seemed to surround him had not changed in the least. As Kairi walked into her home, she shot one last glance down the street to the homes of her friends – her heart glowing warmly at the thought that nothing could ever separate them ever again.


	3. Celebrations

Chapter 2

"So what happened after that?" Geni asked Sora. It was after dinner, and they were up in her room. Geni was organizing all of the new clothes, shoes, accessories, and so on that she bought that day as Sora was paging through the photo albums on the floor, selecting pictures for Kairi's birthday present.

"Well, Captain Hook forced me to walk the plank. As I teetered towards the edge, all I could remember is Peter telling me to believe. It was strange, but I felt as light as a feather. I jumped off of the wooden board and fell a little ways before I stopped. I had closed my eyes when I jumped, so when I peaked through them, I saw myself floating around with some kind of golden dust flying off of me."

"I guess the pixie dust worked then." Geni was holding up a new pair of capri's and a t-shirt while she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Pixie dust?" Sora turned another page in the journal, now looking at pictures of Yao, Ling, and Chien-po as they surrounded Mulan and Shang in a large bear hug.

"You said Peter had Tinker Bell fly around you? The golden dust that comes off of pixies has some special properties; one of them helps ordinary people to fly." She carefully folded the capri's into a drawer and hung up the shirt in her closet.

"Interesting. I wonder if that is how those treasure hunters fly around."

"The three you met in Hollow Bastion?"

"Yeah."

"Don't know. I've only met them once; usually they're flying around trying to find valuable objects. I wonder why they think there is something in Hollow Bastion though."

"You have Donald to thank for that, I believe."

"Why I am not surprised?" She laughed as she finished folding two new pairs of jean, a pair of shorts, and hung up several new shirts and a hooded sweatshirt. The few pairs of casual shoes she bought went into the closet, and her new accessories and such went into a box on her dresser. All of the bags on her bed were empty, save one which she had secretly hidden under the rest. "Well, that's everything."

"Feel better now?" Sora asked as he sat up. Dozens of pictures were scattered around him, fuel for his project.

Geni began to pick up all of the shopping bags on her bed. "Yeah. Now I won't have to worry about messing up all of my good clothes now." There were only a few bags left, and she eyed Sora as she picked them up. She tried shifting around her bed so he couldn't see her stuffing the bags into one for storage. However, the last bag still held one article of clothing in it she wanted to hide before he could see or say anything.

Unluckily for her, Sora stood up and went to help her pick up bags. "Here, let me help," he said as he picked one up.

"No, no! I can get these," she said quickly. "I'll just put them away to use when we go to the grocery –" But it was too late. Sora got to the last bag before she did.

He picked it up and felt something heavy in it. "Hey Geni? I think you forgot something."

"Oh, that's probably just the leftovers from lunch. I'll take it down to the kitchen," she said as she reached for the bag.

"Oh! What did you guys have? Did you go to that burrito place...I...like –?" He paused as he opened the bag. What was in the bag was not a burrito, or even a sandwich, but several small pieces of cloth. "Um, Geni? What is this?" He looked up at her, seeing her beet red and in shock.

As she suddenly snapped out of her stupor, she grabbed the bag out of Sora's hands and dashed over to her dresser and stuffed it in one of the drawers. "I-it's nothing, Sora. Just something Kairi made me buy." She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth, wanting to disappear into the floor right then and there. "I-I mean..."

"Was that a swimsuit?" Sora asked, looking confused. "Why are you embarrassed about that?"

"I-I'm not! I just don't swim that often, and I burn very easily, and...and..."

"Yeah, right. Or are all those pictures that Queen Minnie sent of you in the sea behind the castle fakes?"

If she could have turned any more red, she probably would have. "Alright, fine, you win," she said sullenly. She turned around and looked out the window at the ocean only a few blocks away. "It's not that I hate swimming – I love to in fact. It's just that, with the kind of swimsuit Kairi made me buy, it feels...kind of..."

"Revealing?"

"Well, it _is_ a bikini. I've only worn one piece suits before." She turned and looked at Sora. "I guess I'm just a little uncomfortable wearing it, is all."

"Then why not wear a t-shirt or something over it? You could still wear it then but no one would have to see it. But..."

"But _what_?"

"I think Riku might be a little disappointed..." he said as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"SORA!" _Whack!_ "Out, _out_!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Sora quickly grabbed the photographs and albums and sprinted out the door before any more blows came flying his way. The door quickly slammed behind him.

"Idiot!" he heard her yell at him before all he could hear were things being slammed all over her room and her footsteps thundering across the floor.

"Look! I was kidding! Honest!" Sora heard less pounding and throwing of things, but Geni still didn't answer him. "Geni! Come on, it was only a joke! Riku probably thinks you look good in whatever you wear!" Silence. A few small thuds came close to the door.

"Do you think so?" he heard her say quietly from the other side.

"What? Is that all? You're worried about what Riku might think? He's not as tactless as you think, you know."

"But all he knows is me wearing clothes that cover practically every inch of skin." Her door opened a crack as she spoke softly through it. "What...what if he thinks I'm ugly?"

"What?" Sora almost did a double take. "Are you serious?" He pushed the door open with his free hand. "Is that what you've been worried about? That Riku thinks you're ugly? Even if you had a pimple the size of a moon crater, he wouldn't care. You have a good heart and he knows that – how else did the two of you get together?" he finished softly, giving her an encouraging smile.

She looked at Sora, nodding slowly. "You're right – I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were just a little self conscious," he replied with a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about it. And like I said, if you still feel uncomfortable about it, just wear a shirt or something over it. No one will care." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Now, how about we..."

As Sora and Geni got down to working on Kairi's birthday present, their next door neighbor happened to be contemplating along the same lines, although it was not for his red headed friend. Riku lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, as he racked his brain quite thoroughly. Not only was the upcoming Saturday Kairi's fifteenth birthday party, but it also happened to be exactly one year from the day that Riku and Geni had first met. He wanted to do or get something for her, to show her how much getting to know her meant to him.

Back before they met, Riku spent his days wandering the lonely worlds he stumbled through in his search to help awaken Sora from his slumber. Once he had found out about Roxas, it had taken all of the patience he could muster to not storm the Organization's fortress in order to retrieve him. However, after his first nearly fatal encounter, he had learned his lesson. Not too long after his transformation, he met Geni. She had brightened his life considerably, even though she was bathed in a life of darkness as well. Even when he felt as if the darkness he controlled would consume him, she would stay right beside him in heart and spirit to help him battle it.

And so he wanted to do or give something to her, to show her how important she had been in his life. But the problem was, what? Whatever he got her she had probably seen, had, or used at the castle. And considering her wide array of knowledge of other worlds, she had probably done anything she had wanted to as well – at least, within reason considering her past circumstances. So here he was, fuming over his lack of creativity. He laid his arm over his eyes, shutting out the soft light from his overhead lamp. He lay there for almost a half an hour, before he groaned and turned over onto his stomach, shoving his face into his pillow in frustration.

Riku's dad happened to be walking in with a basket full of laundry at the same time he heard his son groan. Looking over at him, he furrowed his brows in concern. "Something the matter?" he asked nonchalantly.

He saw Riku lift his head off of the pillow slightly. "What...do you get someone you care about, and have kind of known for a long enough time, but who has probably seen so many things already that nothing would be new to them anymore?" he asked before laying his head back down.

Riku's father smiled; he had a pretty good hunch as to what ailed his son. He came in the room and placed the basket with his son's laundry in it on his desk. Coming over to sit on the edge of his bed, he asked "Boy...or girl?" He placed a small emphasis on the latter of the choices.

There was a slight pause before a mumbled answer. "..."

"What? You'll have to speak up son, or at least take your face away from that pillow."

"...girl," he finally replied, tilting his face away from his father.

"Aha! So that's what has been troubling you, I see – the finicky female of our species." Riku turned and slowly sat up to look at his father. "This wouldn't happen to be about a pretty spiky-haired young girl who just happened to have moved in next door a few weeks ago, is it?" His father laughed as Riku's face radiated the heat from several suns. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, from the time I've gotten to speak with her, she is a very nice girl and has a wonderful and caring personality. To tell you the truth, I think she would like anything you gave her."

"That doesn't help my situation much dad," Riku groaned as he flopped back onto his bed.

"Well, then. I guess there is only one piece of advice I can give you, which any girl – no matter how young or old she is – enjoys."

Riku sat up quickly, looking to his father in earnest. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Attention." There was utter silence, besides a few grasshoppers buzzing outside of the window in earnest. "I'm serious. Any girl who would trade all the flowers, chocolate, jewelry, and gifts in the world for a chance to be with you won't care what you do with her or get her as long as you are together. Starting to catch my drift?"

Riku looked down at his bed, thoughtful for a moment or two. Suddenly, he jumped up with a large smile on his face. "Yeah, I think I do. Thanks dad," he said as he clapped his father lightly on his back before he raced out of his room and down the hall.

Mr. Tamohara smiled as he slowly stood up and walked over to pick up the laundry basket. "Still got it," he said to himself quietly with a large smile. However, his smile vanished when he realized Riku had run out without putting his laundry away, leaving him with a full basket. He yelled back down the hallway, "Riku! Wait a minute – get back here!"

And so the next three days on the island passed by in relative calm. Sora worked hard on finishing Kairi's birthday gift and Riku on his secret surprise for Geni. On that Friday, Selphie took Kairi to the downtown shopping district of the island while Wakka, Tidus, Sora, and Riku took all of the decorations over to the island. Pink and white streamers and balloons were hung throughout the tree house and platform, lights were wound up the trunks of the coconut trees and on the platform, a fire pit was dug and wood was placed in it ready to ignite a wonderful bonfire, and two tables had been brought over – thanks to some of Geni's magic. In the center of one was an open spot for the cake Geni was currently working on: they had decided on a round cake with blue waves and pink flowers which read "Happy Birthday Kairi" in red frosting on the top. The other table was laden with brightly wrapped packages in numerous sizes from all of the friends to Kairi.

Sora had just finished stringing the last of the lights on the platform when he felt a surge of magic on the beach behind him. Looking back quickly, he saw Geni step through a portal with a few plates and a bowl or two stacked up in her arms and a basket hanging from one of them. "Alright! Food!" he cried happily. Quickly hanging the rest of the lights in his hand, he hopped off of the railing he had been standing on and sped down towards the sandy shore.

Geni was balancing the plates full of food and the large basket in her hands when she heard feet running her way. She looked up from her task to see Sora thundering her way. Smiling, she quickly put up a barrier just in case he couldn't stop in time. "Hungry Sora?" she called teasingly.

And, just as predicted, as Sora tried to slide to a stop in the sand he bumped into her invisible shield, allowing him to ungracefully fall upon his rear with an _oomph!_ He laughed, and quickly stood up to dust off his shorts. "Of course – prepared as always I see. Is that lunch?"

"You think I would be that cruel, after all of the hard work you guys have done around here? The place looks great!" she said with a smile. "I'll put the party food out for later, and then I brought sandwiches and drinks for everyone. Where are they anyway?"

"Right here!" Sora and Geni looked up to see Wakka striding towards them. "I just finished with the bonfire pit, Tidus is finishing hanging streamers, and Riku's somewhere around here...haven't seen him in a while – I think he's on the other side of the island." Wakka came over and finally noticed all of the food in Geni's arms. "Lunch? Alright brother! I'm starving!"

"_Easy_ Wakka. Here." Geni shifted the plates in her arms and slipped the basket to him. "There's plenty for everyone – I made sure of that," she said as Wakka's hand quickly slipped inside of the basket to find a mound of wrapped goodies. "I'll go set this up. I figured I would bring most of the food over while the cake is settling with the first coat of frosting."

"You're that far on it already?" Sora asked incredulously as he quickly dug inside of the basket for a sandwich, vying for it with Wakka.

"Except for the decorating, it's done. Where are the tables Sora?"

"Over on the platform," he gestured while chomping down into bologna. "Mmm, good stuff."

Geni quickly walked up the steps and onto the platform where she saw Tidus hanging the last of the white streamers. The platform was dazzling, with a mix of pink and white streamers and white lights hanging all over the place. The tables were laid with a white tablecloth, and plates, napkins, and silverware were already waiting to be used. Geni quickly went and distributed the plates and bowls she was carrying, and then placed some serving utensils with their corresponding edible. "Tidus, this looks wonderful!" she exclaimed when she was finished and Tidus had stepped down from the railing he had been using.

"Thanks," he replied, running his hand through his hair. "I hope Kairi likes all of this – but most of all, we'll have to thank Selphie for keeping both of them out of our hair."

"You know that's not true," Geni said. "Selphie might get underfoot at times, but that is what makes her herself."

"I know." He sighed, looking out towards the ocean.

"Still missing Yuna?" she asked softly as she joined him.

"A little," he admitted. "I wish I could have stayed with her in Spira." His bluish-purple eyes stared across the sea, his heart trying to see what his eyes could not. He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Geni smiling sadly at him.

"You'll see her again one day," she said softly.

"How do you know?" he asked her. "Spira is so far away, and..."

"Have faith and trust in yourself and her, and you will," she replied softly but sternly. Her blue eyes seemed to glow for a moment in the afternoon light, shining like the rippling of the waves on the ocean they were gazing at. Tidus could only stare at her, wondering to just what extent her magical abilities lay. She broke their eye contact, smiling widely at him, before she turned around. "Well, Kairi and Selphie will be here in a few hours, so we had better finish, right?"

"Uh, yeah!" he stuttered as he quickly followed her down the stairs of the platform. Wakka and Sora were sitting on the pier still eating the sandwiches she had brought. Tidus's mind quickly went into food mode like his friends, and dashed the last few feet to plunge his own hand into the basket. An irritated sound came from Wakka, who had been delving in at the same time. The two stared at each other, electricity darting between them, until Geni quietly stepped between them and gently shoved her own hand into the basket. Both of them immediately turned red, and withdrew their hands. Once she had grabbed one of her favorite peanut butter and jam sandwiches, she smiled at the two of them and went and sat down next to Sora, her legs swinging off of the side of the pier.

"The platform looks wonderful. You all have definitely been hard at work," she complimented him as she opened her sandwich and took a bite.

"Thanks," Sora replied as he swallowed the last of his. "Everything is done, except for bringing the rest of the food and setting up around the bonfire. But all of that will only take a few minutes anyway. By the way, aren't you warm?" he asked, referring to her ensemble that day. Geni was wearing some of her new clothes she had bought earlier that week; a pair of denim capri's, her hooded sweatshirt, and her favorite sandals. She had liked the sweatshirt immediately because of the design. It was a chocolate brown in color with a zipper down the front, and a pair of gold wings took up most of the back in an elegant sort of way.

"Not really. The breeze is really nice today, and I thought it might get a little chilly tonight. Besides, I haven't worn this yet and wanted to try it out. It's really comfortable."

"Sure," he said, crumbling the plastic wrap in his hands. "Did you remember to bring your swimsuit?"

"Um...yes?" she said, turning away from him.

"You're wearing it already, aren't you? You wore that so no one would see it." He paused, looking down at her. "Are you still that unsure about wearing it?"

She didn't reply right away, but continued to munch on her sandwich in silence. "I know I'm being a little paranoid, but I just don't feel comfortable in it yet. Maybe later, maybe not. I just don't know." She shifted on the pier, her feet swinging lazily – or anxiously? – over the water.

Sora knelt down next to her. "Whatever you decide, it's up to you," he said quietly. "Just know that most of us will probably be swimming later anyway." He saw her nod, and take another bite out of her sandwich. Standing up, he stretched. "Well, I suppose we had better get finished. Tidus, Wakka – you two done yet?" He crossed his arms behind his head and looked towards them. Each of them had several wrappers next to them by now, and they were both working on another.

"Just finishing," Tidus said quickly as he popped the last morsel into his mouth. He gathered the wrappers around them and piled them into the basket. "By the way, where's Riku? There are hardly any left and I still haven't seen him."

"Right here!" They all turned, seeing their silver haired friend trotting up the beach from the direction of the plateau where the paopu tree was. "Did you guys save me anything?"

"Hey, if you're late you lose out on the grub, brother," Wakka said with a smile. "But, I think we left a few for you." Riku quickly walked up and onto the pier towards the basket Wakka offered him.

"Thanks," Riku said gratefully.

"So where have you been?" Sora asked.

"Oh, sorry. I meant to finish helping you guys out earlier, but one of the palms on the other side of the island looks like it uprooted partially in the wind last night, and hit part of the lookout tower. I was just cleaning up – too bad the wood is too new to use for firewood."

"Oh, that is too bad. That poor palm tree – was it one of the little ones too?" Geni asked, evidently concerned and wanting to change the subject of her swimsuit.

"What?" Riku replied, as he was opening his sandwich. "Uh, yeah, it was. Since it was so little there was hardly any damage, but I didn't want anyone to get hurt because of it."

"Good thinking," Sora said. He turned back to his friends. "Well, I guess we had better get finishing. Selphie and Kairi we'll be here in about two hours." He turned to Geni, who was getting the basket and garbage from Wakka. "Do you need any help bringing the food over?"

"No. Everything is done, except for finishing the cake – and even that will only take me a few minutes to finish. I only have to add the flowers and the lettering. So I'll be back in about a half an hour with the rest of the food. Do you need any help around here?"

"Nope," he said, looking around. "All of the sleeping bags and blankets are up in the tree house, the lights and streamers are hung, the presents are ready, and you're getting the food. I think that's everything," he said, sounding a little surprised at how much they already had finished.

"Okay, well then I'm off," she said. Walking over to Riku, she asked him, "Do you want another sandwich?"

"Just one," he said, sticking his hand in the basket she was holding out to him. "If I eat too much now I won't have any room for dinner."

Geni laughed. "Alright then. I'll see you all in a little bit." She walked down off of the pier and waved a hand in front of her. A glowing portal opened and she stepped through it, and within seconds both she and the light disappeared.

"She has _gotta_ teach me how to do that, ya?" Wakka said wistfully.

"Why? So you wouldn't be late for class all the time, like you usually are?" Tidus retorted.

"I wouldn't talk, Tidus. What about that frog invasion from last year?" he sent back at him. Tidus paled, and Wakka grinned. "Aha! Which science experiment are you going to save this year? The crickets or the fish?"

"Shut up Wakka!" he stuttered.

"Oh ya? Make me!" he said, puffing out his chest.

"Guys, guys!" Sora cried, intervening before they got into one of their noogie fights again. "Do you want to ruin all of the hard work we put into today?" Tidus and Wakka backed down, the fight draining out of them.

"No," they both said unhappily.

"Then let's get going. After we're done, we can do whatever we want until the girls get back."

"Okay," Tidus agreed. He looked up at Wakka. "First one done gets the biggest slice of cake tonight!" Before Wakka could respond, he was off and running towards the tree house.

"No fair!" Wakka bellowed as he ran after his friend. Sora and Riku could only shake their heads. As the shouting died down to a dull roar, Sora turned to him.

"So, what have you been up to Riku?"

"I told you, didn't I? The tree –"

"Riku – the wind last night couldn't topple over a teddy bear."

Riku gulped, seeing as he was found out. _How does he always see right through me?_ he thought to himself. "Okay. I was working on a present for your sister."

"What for?" Sora asked, puzzled. "Our birthday –"

"Isn't for months, I know. But today is...kind of special. It's been exactly one year since we met."

"Really?" Sora said, incredulous. "I didn't realize it's been that long."

"Yeah, it has," Riku said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I just wanted to do something for her, to let her know how much knowing her has meant to me. That's all."

"And so you were getting whatever it is ready?"

"Yeah. You don't mind, do you?" Riku asked.

"Nah, of course not. I hope it goes over well," he said as he clapped him on his shoulder. "You know, I just wanted to tell you thanks. Geni seems to be really happy here, even though the adjustment from the Disney Castle was a big one for her. So, thanks for helping her out, okay?" Sora gave his best friend one of his largest grins to date.

"Yeah, well, it's no big deal, you know," Riku said, his ears dusted a faint red. He suddenly jumped to his feet. "We'll, let's finish up. She'll be back soon with the rest of the food, and Kairi and Selphie too." Sora nodded his reply, and the two of them jogged off to finish helping Tidus and Wakka.

All too soon, the sun was beginning to drift down towards to the horizon. Riku, Sora, Wakka, and Tidus had finished all of the preparations for the party, and Geni had soon arrived carrying the rest of the food in the picnic basket and held a large, round cake in her hands. As she finished setting up the food, she heard a shout from Tidus. Turning around, she saw him waving towards a small canoe heading for the island. She unconsciously spread out some of her magic towards them, and sensed it was Selphie and Kairi. Selphie had already blindfolded Kairi, so she probably already knew something was up. Smiling, Geni looked over her handiwork one last time, before turning and sprinting down the steps towards the four boys already on the beach.

"Ya! Selphie, Kairi! You guys finally made it!" cried Wakka as they met them at the pier. While Selphie was docking Tidus was tying a rope from her canoe to the dock. Kairi was sitting silently in the prow, her blindfold tied tightly around her eyes.

"Sorry – it was hard to drag the birthday girl away from the stores," Selphie replied. "But here we are. You ready Kairi?" she asked her friend.

"Yes, if I could see where I was going," she said with a laugh. "What's this all for anyway, you guys?" as she carefully stood up.

"Wait and see," Sora said, grabbing both of her hands and helping her onto the dock. Tidus had already helped Selphie up. "Are you ready?" he asked her.

"For what?"

"You'll see..." he said mischievously. Sora gently took her by her shoulders and pushed her along the beach towards the platform where her surprise party awaited her. Selphie giggled in anticipation, and Geni was nervous – she hoped that Kairi liked the cake she had worked hard on. As they strolled up the stairs, the friends fanned out behind Kairi. "Okay guys!" Sora cried. "1...2...3..." he counted as he quickly untied the knot from the blindfold and slipped it off of Kairi's head.

"Happy Birthday Kairi!" all six of them shouted at once. Kairi's eyes grew large. The platform was decorated with pink and white streamers, her favorite colors. Lights were wound all around the railings and trees, making the area sparkle. There were two tables: one laden with food and a beautiful blue and pink birthday cake, and the other was piled high with presents just for her.

"You guys..." she said, her eyes moistening. She turned around to stare at her six best friends in the entire universe. "Thank you all!" she said as she jumped at them, grouping as many as she could into a huge group hug. She caught Sora, Selphie, and Tidus, and then went again to get Geni, Riku, and Wakka.

"Hey, hey! No waterworks!" Wakka exclaimed. "This is a party, ya? Let's get it started!" And from out of nowhere he popped a party favor, sending streamers and confetti all around them.

"Alright!" Tidus shouted. "Finally, we can eat!"

For the next few hours, the friends ate and talked, and overall goofed around on the island they preferred to call their "second home." The food Geni had prepared was quickly being consumed, and she was glad she had more prepared back at the Akeno's just in case. However, just as Wakka and Tidus had finished their fourth helpings or so of everything, they decided to go for a swim before they opened Kairi's presents because it was getting too late to go.

"Ya! Chicken fights all around! Me and Tidus versus Sora and Riku! Whaddaya guys think?" he said.

"Sounds good to me," Sora replied. All four boys quickly slipped off their shirts. Having thought ahead for once, they had worn their trunks to the party. Laughing and shouting, the four of them raced into the water, leaving the girls to watch with amusement.

"No matter how big they get, they're just little boys at heart, aren't they?" Geni said with a chuckle as Riku dunked Sora under the water and he came up sputtering, looking for revenge.

"Aren't we all? I mean, young at heart," Selphie quickly added. "Why don't we join in?"

"I'm for it," Kairi said. "I haven't swum for days. And besides, it will be too dark in an hour or two to go. Let's go!" Selphie and Kairi quickly peeled off their outer layer of clothes to reveal two modest bikinis underneath. Both were traditional – they had a French cut bottom with a fitted top. Selphie's sported yellow polka dots, while Kairi's was pink with flowers on it. Geni, on the other hand, hadn't moved from her spot where she was leaning against the railing.

"Aren't you coming Geni? You did remember to bring your suit, right?" Selphie asked her.

"I…I did. I just don't feel like swimming at the moment."

"Come on! It'll be fun, we promise."

"That's okay. I think I'll just go wade for a while before I go in," she said. She quickly took off her capri's, but left her hooded sweatshirt on and walked down to the beach. The two girls eyed her suspiciously.

"What's with her?" Selphie asked Kairi. "I think it looked nice on the mannequin."

"I don't know," Kairi answered with a shrug. "Maybe she's just too self conscious about it."

"Well, I can fix that," Selphie said determinedly, and raced off towards Geni.

"Selphie! Wait! Maybe you shouldn't –" But her words went unheeded. She ran after Selphie, hoping that nothing bad would come of it.

Geni waded in and out of small sand dunes that were slick with salt water. Riku and Sora were trying to topple Wakka and Tidus not too far away from her, and they were laughing and trying to outdo each other as usual. She also tried to keep herself from looking worried. _It's not that I don't want to go swimming, but…_

"GENI!" She quickly turned around to see Selphie barreling towards her.

"What? What's the matter?" she asked, concerned. Selphie trotted up to her.

"You need to loosen up," she said defiantly, and suddenly grabbed for the zipper that concealed her torso.

"Selphie, no! Don't do that! Selphie!" she cried. She tried to tug the zipper away, but Selphie was forceful, and didn't let go no matter what.

"It's only a swimsuit!" she retorted, rationalizing her ridiculous actions.

"I said I _do not want to go swimming!_" Geni hollered at her. By this time, the boys had ceased their game and were staring at the two girls squabbling. Sora and Riku had walked out of the water and stood by Kairi, all three unsure of what they should do.

"What's going on?" Riku asked. "What's wrong with them?"

"Geni doesn't want to take off her sweatshirt and go swimming," Kairi sighed plainly. "But I don't see why not."

"She already told me she was unsure about wearing it," Sora told them quickly. "She's only worn one piece suits before, unlike the one she said you two made her buy. We should probably tell Selphie to cut it out."

"Either way, let's just break it up before Geni starts using her magic on Selphie or something," Riku finished. The three of them sighed and quickly dashed over to where Selphie had gotten an inch on Geni.

"Almost…there!" she said with a huff.

"Selphie – I said stop it already!" Geni cried. "I don't want to go swimming…I've told you that already!"

"Fine, then just take your sweatshirt off already so we can admire your new swimsuit!" And with that, she gripped the zipper one last time and shoved herself slightly into Geni, knocking her off balance. And…_zwip!_ "There, see? That wasn't so –"

And there was silence.


	4. Revelations

Chapter 3

The four of them stared at the brunette who had ungracefully fallen on her bottom in the sand. Selphie had successfully unzipped her sweatshirt, allowing a full view of Geni's new swimsuit. The bottom was like a pair of shorts and the top similar to the other girls; however her swimsuit was a deep royal purple with a sprinkling of light purple dots over it. But the suit is not what had drawn their full attention to her.

Peering out from behind the top of her suit was a large, fist-sized, skin puckering, star shaped (with many points), ghastly scar. It drew the eye in, its wrinkled edges marring the innocently smooth skin surrounding it. As her friends look down at her, her face was eerily impassive. Geni sat there in shock, her horrible secret now known to her entire world.

Sora could hardly believe his eyes. Where in the world did his sister get that scar from? Could it have been from when she was younger, when the Heartless attacked her? Or could it be...?

"Geni?" Selphie said, sounding quite small. "Are...are you okay?"

Selphie's question broke Geni out from her trance, and she shot a terrified expression at her friends. Her hands shakily rose from their sand entrenched holes, and she forcefully grabbed her sweatshirt and yanked it closed. Shakily she rose to her feet, her gaze never once leaving that of the four people standing in front of her, as she slowly backed away from them.

Sora was the first to try and approach her. "Geni? What is that? Where did that scar come from?" he asked, radiating concern for his twin. Geni only stepped back a few more steps, her fists bunching up the brown fabric.

"Come on, Geni. It's not that –" Riku started to say, before Geni interrupted him with a shriek.

"Stay away from me! Don't touch me!" she literally screamed at them, before taking off down the beach towards the paopu tree.

"Geni! Wait! Where are you going?" cried several voices at once. Sora was the first to run after her, before Riku grabbed him by his shoulder.

"Riku!" he said, anger flashing in his eyes. "What's the deal? Let me go!" Riku stepped back for a moment, surprised, until he realized that Sora was reacting to the anger and sadness he could feel through his link with Geni, relaying it through his own actions.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Let me go and talk to her. Now we know why she didn't want to wear that suit. She was embarrassed, but about that scar on her chest, not because of the suit itself. Whatever that thing is, Geni didn't want us to find out about it. Please, Sora – let me go and talk to her first." His eyes beseeched Sora.

"Alright," he replied uncertainly, calming as the feeling inside of him lessened with the distance between them.

"Be careful of what you say, okay Riku?" Kairi asked of him. "It seems like she feels bad enough with us just seeing it as it is."

"I won't, I promise," he said determinedly. And with that, he took off down the beach after her.

By this time, Geni had run all the way to the opposite side of the island and through the door to the other side. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks, and she had re-zipped her sweatshirt to avoid looking at her hideous disfiguration. She stumbled and sprawled into the sand, her tears obscuring her vision. After a pause, she quickly stood back up and began to run again, not knowing where she was going. Soon, she would be heading back towards them – something she wanted to avoid at all costs at that moment. Shaking her head, she happened to spot a large rock formation several hundred feet away from the shore. She stopped running across the beach, and headed for the open water.

Riku had run through the shed connecting the beaches with each other, and had begun to shout out Geni's name. Looking around frantically, he did not see her anywhere – considering there weren't that many places to hide on this side of their island. He checked the obstacle course and around the wooden platforms, and even ran all the way to the other side near the platform where the lights blinked merrily from behind the foliage. _Where _is _she?_ he thought to himself. Turning around, he quickly had an idea. He ran and climbed up the lookout tower and looked around the entire side of the island.

_She couldn't have gone far, and by the way she reacted she wouldn't want to be around anyone for a while. That means she didn't go home at least. So where _did_ she go?_ He shaded his eyes from the setting sun, looking all around him. Suddenly, had happened to look down and notice the footprints. There were his, of course, from earlier and his just now, but he noticed a second set of footprints much smaller than his own running along the shoreline. What caught his attention is that they stopped in front of the tower and turned sharply, heading out into the ocean.

_She went out into the water? _he asked himself, puzzled. _Why would she –?_ he thought until his gaze traveled out in a straight line from where he peered. Several hundred feet out was the large rock formation that encircled a coral reef they liked to snorkel in occasionally. _There!_ he thought to himself. He knew there was a large, flat rock that faced away from the islands in the formation, and he almost instinctively knew that that was where Geni was.

Riku quickly climbed down the lookout tower and ran headlong into the waves lapping at the beach. As the water began to rise towards his knees, and then his middle, he dived in and began to swim out towards the reef. He silently thanked Sora for sparring and training with him all the time, grateful that it gave him the power in his arms and legs that made short work of the long swim. He could feel the tide and underwater currents pulling against him, but once he entered the outskirts of the reef the pull died down radically. As he neared the large rock formations, he slowed his strokes, trying not to make too much noise, lest Geni tried to run away again.

Reaching the first large rock, Riku stopped to catch his breath as he floated in the salty water. He strained his ears to listen for any noise above the rushing of the waves, and was presented with a sobbing noise to the front of him. Slowly, he dog paddled around the rocks until he came into view of the large flat one.

Sitting on the rock, dripping wet, was Geni. She had her legs tucked up close to her and her head buried in her knees. Her body shook as she cried, and her hands clenched at the damp material covering her torso. She had been so upset that she had actually swum the distance as Riku had, not even considering to use her magic to get herself there to make anyone following her lose her trail.

Riku's heart constricted at the sight; her pain and anguish seemed to seep into the air around her. Quietly, while trying to refrain from splashing unnecessarily, he pulled himself up onto the rocks and slowly edged his way towards her – he didn't want to frighten her and give her yet another reason to bolt. However, as he shifted positions so he could get closer to her, his hand already stretched out, the material on his trunks pulled and let out a loud squelching noise. Geni's head shot up, and Riku could see how red her eyes were and the tears that stained her face. She tried to stand up and run away from him, but he was too quick and grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him.

"Let me go!" she said, her voice cracking in hysterics.

"No! Not until you tell me what's wrong," he said, gently but forcefully. "Why did you run away from everyone? Sora's really worried about you, you know." She turned away and tried to pull her arm out of his strong grip.

"Just leave me alone!" she cried, desperate to escape him.

"No, I won't! Tell me what's wrong," he asked her.

"Just go away!" she begged him. "Just…go away and leave me alone!" she cried, her grip beginning to go limp. "Please…go away…please…" she quietly pleaded with him as her body gave up the will to fight. She no longer tried to run away, or pull away from him, but just sat there crying her eyes out.

Riku stared at her in shock. No matter what upset her, or how low she had felt, Geni had never cried like this. Whatever the matter was, it was hurting her too much for her to even struggle back. He knelt down next to her, his hand releasing her arm. It fell to the ground limply, smacking against the hard stone. She sat there, her legs flailed out underneath her, her head hanging in despair as she continued to quietly sob.

"What's wrong?" he asked her quietly. "Are you upset about your new swim suit, or that we saw your scar?" A slight hitch in her sobbing for the latter of the questions was his only answer. "Your scar? Why? What is so terrible about it?"

Geni shook her head, her hair spraying several droplets of saltwater onto him. She mumbled something under her breath, the crashing of the waves around them covering it.

"What?" Riku asked. "What did you say?" Again she mumbled something, but this time it was a little louder. All Riku could hear was "I...aid...mi...I'm...ly." "Come on Geni. You can tell me what's bothering you. No one is here to condemn you." He gently squeezed her shoulder, earning him a wince from her. He felt bad, but did not cease the physical contact. "Tell me what's wrong," he begged her.

Finally, she raised her head slowly to look him in the eyes. Her normally bright blue eyes were now red, bloodshot, and puffy; her tears had left glistening trails down her cheeks. "I said..." she began softly, hesitantly. "I said I thought you would think I was ugly...hideous maybe."

"What!" he shouted, maybe a little too loud because Geni shrank back from him, her hands instinctively hugging her arms like a shield. Riku immediately saw his mistake and lowered his voice and put on a kind smile. "Why would you ever think that? It's just a scar – no big deal."

"But...I look horrible..."

"No you don't," he said. Riku quickly closed the distance between them and gently wrapped his arms around her sodden frame. Geni stiffened against his lean body, his skin warm albeit wet. She was awarded with a fantastic view of his muscles, toned and sculpted, as she stared into his chest watching it rise and fall with each breath. Riku gazed over her head back towards the island, Geni trembling in his arms – from either fear or the cool wind blowing, he couldn't tell. The sun was beginning to set, and it would be less than an hour before it turned dark. "Look," he said, "it doesn't matter about your scar – where you got it from, nothing. All that matters is what is on the inside – and you are perfect."

At these kind words, Geni broke down once again, leaning into Riku's wet but warm embrace. She cried as her hands released her sweatshirt, instead finding themselves wrapping around the boy in front of her. She anchored herself to him, her fingers digging into his back. Her heart slowly released the self doubt and anxiety she had been building up for the past few days. Riku squeezed her gently; his arms crossed over her, his head standing vigil over her own, as she finally allowed her emotions to get the better of her. As her sobbing began to decrease, Riku felt her begin to weigh heavily in his arms. She was still leaning into him, but he could already tell that her heart and spirit were lighter.

He pulled back and laid his left hand upon her shoulder, and tilted her chin up so he could see her face with his right. Her face was red and splotchy, and her breathing was going from ragged to calm already. "Feel better now?" he asked her softly. She hiccupped, nodding.

"Yes, I do," she said, almost inaudibly.

"Ready to tell me what this was all about?" Again, she nodded.

"I...was afraid about showing it to you guys. It was never prominent, but while we were at The World That Never Was..." she let her sentence drag, looking down. "When we were at the top of the castle..." Suddenly, Riku understood. The beam of light that had pierced her heart only weeks ago – her sacrifice to save them... "The first time I saw it, I thought I was seeing things. Queen Minnie and I tried many different spells, potions, herbal remedies, and more to lessen it – but nothing worked. It is just one of those things that doesn't go away," she finished quietly.

"And so you kept it concealed, hoping we would never find out," he added.

She nodded yet again. "I'm sorry...for running away earlier. It's just...it's just that I...I didn't want to have to burden you all with that knowledge – especially Sora."

"I understand," Riku said in a low voice. Suddenly, he stood up and grabbed her forearms, helping her unsteadily to her feet. Both of them were still dripping wet, and Geni shivered slightly at the twilight breeze. His hold slid down to her hands, where he pushed them together and rubbed his hands against her chilly digits. "Let's go, before either of us catch a cold," he said with a smile. "Plus, the others might be getting worried about us by now."

"You're right," Geni replied. "Let's take the faster route." Closing her eyes, she quietly whispered a few words of magic and a blue bubble appeared around the two of them. It slowly levitated off of the rock for a moment, before it lurched suddenly and quickly sped back towards land. Geni bumped into Riku, blushing, when the bubble heaved. He caught her, holding onto her until the bubble descended over the sand and with a _plop!_ disappeared, leaving them on the beach. The sun by now was halfway over the horizon and quickly disappearing.

"You ready?" Riku asked her, his face serious.

"I guess so," she said, sounding uncertain. "I do think I owe a few people some apologies for ruining the party."

"Well, let's go then," Riku said, dropping the subject. They headed back for the door that led to the other side of the island, unbeknownst to them that they were being watched.

Tidus peered through the bushes on the side of the platform facing away from the main island, watching as Riku and Geni walked down the beach. He smiled, and turned around to face the anxious faces of his friends. "She's fine," he immediately said. A collective sigh of relief whooshed from the group.

"Did she say why she ran away?" Sora asked, leaning against the other railing next to Kairi.

"No – at least not from what I could hear."

"It's all my fault," Selphie muttered. "I should have stopped when she asked me to, but..."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, ya? You didn't know – none of us did," Wakka added.

"But why would she keep something like that a secret from us?" Kairi wondered as she stared out at the twinkling lights across the bay. "I mean, so what? She has a big scar on her chest – it's not like she's deformed or disfigured."

"But she thinks she is." Sora stood up, and looked at his friends. "Geni had told me she was self conscious about her suit, but in actuality she was talking about the scar. I have a pretty good hunch as to where it came from, and it's no wonder she wouldn't want us to know about it."

"Why? Where did it come –" but before Kairi could finish her sentence, she spied two figures walking up the beach towards them. "There here," she said quietly. Everyone turned around and watched as Riku walked up the platform steps, followed by Geni. Her eyes were downcast, and she seemed to hide behind Riku's height.

"Geni! You're back!" Sora said, running over towards her. He caught her up in a great big bear hug, and she winced only slightly at his touch.

"Sorry," she mumbled to him. He let go, but didn't move away from her.

"Why?"

"For ruining the party."

"You didn't ruin it!" he protested.

"Yes I did. I shouted at all of you, and made you worry because I ran away. I've ruined your birthday party," she said, facing Kairi. Turning, she walked towards the steps and placed her hand on the railing. "I'm going back to the house. See you in the morning," she said. But before she could take one step she felt a hand grip her arm tightly. Turning around, she saw Selphie standing there, a guilty look on her face.

"It was my fault, not yours," she said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I shouldn't have forced you to get that, or wear it today. I'm sorry." Geni was surprised at Selphie's reaction – no matter what she did wrong, she always still had her bubbly personality when she apologized like it was never a big deal. She turned around, gazing at her family and friends.

"It's okay Selphie," she said. "You didn't know. And I'm sorry I never told any of you – I didn't want to burden any of you with that."

"Why would it burden us?" Sora asked, puzzled.

"Because of when I got it – on top of the castle in The World That Never Was," she finished with a sad smile. Sora and Kairi's reaction were the same as Riku's had been – shock, and then guilt. "But don't worry," she quickly added, "it's no big deal – I shouldn't have shouted or run away...that was childish of me." The atmosphere was becoming less tense, but still eyes were downcast and the party atmosphere had turned drab and depressing. Wakka quickly walked over to both girls and picked them both up at the same time, squeezing them into a large group hug.

"Wakka!" both girls cried. He spun them around once and then set them down.

"Alright, ya? Enough with this serious stuff. This is suppose to be a party, ya? So let's party!" He grinned at both of them. "Besides, I'm getting hungry for some cake!" Selphie sputtered out a giggle, and Geni smiled in return as she wiped at her eyes.

"Wakka, you're always hungry!" Selphie said, playfully chastising him.

"What! I can't help it if it looks that good."

"Well, shall we try this again then?" Kairi said, as she walked over and stood next to Geni. She was holding out a large knife to her. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Geni eyed the knife, and slowly took it from Kairi's outstretched hand. "I would love to," she said, her face lighting up with a smile.

After all of the tears were shed and the blame laid to rest, Kairi's birthday party really got underway. All of them sang to Kairi as she blew out her candles, and Geni cut into the beautiful cake. As they were eating, it was decided that Kairi needed to open her presents from everyone.

From Tidus, Kairi received a new pair of rollerblades – black lined with hot pink, of course. From Selphie, a new CD on their favorite band, Orange Range. From Wakka, Kairi got a new book about the history of blitzball. From Riku, she received a gift certificate to one of her favorite stores downtown. Geni gave her a necklace that she charmed herself that would change colors whenever she touched it, turning it the color of her choice. And finally, she was on her last present. It was small and rectangular, and from Sora. It was wrapped carefully, and had a large bow on top. As she gently tore it open, it revealed a leather bound album with a pink flower on the cover. As she opened it, her eyes grew wide with wonder. In it were pictures of Sora, Riku, Geni, and even herself in far away lands. She recognized Twilight Town, as well as The World That Never Was. Other pictures included people she had never met, but were probably friends of Sora and Riku.

"What do you think?" Sora asked shyly.

"It's amazing! Thank you Sora!" she quickly got up from her chair to give him a large hug. "I can't wait to look through it!"

"I'm glad you like it," he said, blushing.

Geni eyed them as she finished her slice of cake. She had known about Sora's project since earlier that week, when he had asked to use the crystal ball to contact the castle. However, that left out the several other calls that had occurred after that. Her brow furrowed. Who had been using her crystal ball, and why? Out of all the people on the island, she knew only Riku and Sora – besides herself – could use magic. She would have to ask them about it later. For the moment, she snuggled into the blanket that she had wrapped around her. She had removed her wet sweatshirt to let it dry, and had borrowed one of the blankets they would use later. Her sweatshirt would be dry by then, thank goodness, so she wasn't really worried.

The sun had set, the food had been eaten, and presents had been opened. Wakka and Tidus left to go and start the bonfire, while Geni and Selphie had gone to get the rest of the blankets and sleeping bags from the tree house, leaving Sora, Riku, and Kairi behind to straighten up. "So…did you like all of your presents?" Sora asked, trying to be nonchalant as he placed paper plates into a large plastic garbage bag.

"I did. All of them were wonderful, even Wakka's blitzball book."

"I'm glad," Sora replied, throwing her a smile. He turned, letting out a large sigh of relief.

"Something the matter Sora?" Kairi asked.

"Uh? Oh, no! Nothing at all!" he said, laughing.

"What, just because you had no idea what to give her no more than a few days ago?" Riku called over as he swept up some confetti.

"Wha-? Riku!" Sora said, aggravated. "Really, Kairi, I had been planning this for a while and –"

"Forget it, Sora." Kairi turned and walked over to him. "The album is wonderful – it's exactly what I wanted. You guys had most of the adventures, and it's nice to know more about them." Leaning in slightly, she placed a small kiss on Sora's cheek, turning him bright red. "Thanks Sora – you're the best."

"Ah…n-no problem, Kairi…" he muttered, smiling as he bent his head down.

"Are you two lovebirds going to stand there all night or help out a little?" Riku called, leaning on his broom as he eyed the two of them. "The others are probably waiting for us."

"We're all done, anyway," Kairi shrugged. She and Sora had placed the garbage bags in a corner, and had covered the food. They were going to leave it out in case anyone was still hungry later. "Let's go."

"Right behind you," Riku said. "Just let me finish this."

"Okay," Sora called, falling into step beside Kairi as they walked down the steps. Riku watched them go into the twilight of the night, the last of the sun's rays illuminating what wasn't covered by the lights or torches. As he swept up the dirt and confetti and placed it in one of the bags, he set the broom next to them and dug deep into his pocket. In a moment he pulled out a small device with a clear crystal inset into the front of it, and tapped it a few times until it lit up. A clear crackling noise suddenly came out of it. Riku placed a finger on the crystal, turning it blue, and spoke into it. "Are you guys still awake up there?"

A moment later, a very familiar voice came quacking furiously on it. "Very funny. We just got here, if you don't mind. How is everything down there?"

"We just finished dinner, and are going to the bonfire. I would guess no later than an hour from now we'll head over there. Do you guys have everything ready?"

"Of course. With the modification to the gummi cannons', it was quite simple to replace the lasers with shrapnel bombs – we even made it so they'll come out in a few different colors. You can thank his majesty for that."

"I can't thank all of you enough for doing this, you know. Especially Queen Minnie for telling me about it."

"Hey, no problem. And don't forget your end of this deal."

"I know, I know – we're on call for Heartless and Nobody duty until the end of summer. There aren't many of them left anyway."

"We know – but as King Mickey says, you can never be too careful. Either way, call us when you're ready. We'll be orbiting until then."

"Alright – over and out." Riku depressed the crystal, and the radio was silent. "I suppose I had better go and join the party." He looked up at the darkening sky, where the first stars of the night were just twinkling into existence. Sighing, he shook his head and quickly went to join his friends.


	5. A New Feeling

_All credits and lyrics go to KT Tunstall, Faye Wong, Stratovarius, and Do As Infinity. I do not own or claim to have written any of them, and have no affiliation with them whatsoever._

Chapter 4

Tidus and Wakka had a sizeable fire already going, and were still adding wood to it making it large and inviting. Selphie and Geni had spread the blankets around the fire, far enough away so nothing would catch on fire but still close enough so they wouldn't get cold in the night air.

All the boys were still wearing their swim trunks, but had put their shirts back on. That went the same for the girls – Geni was now wearing her dried sweatshirt and tuning her guitar, plucking the strings as she turned the pegs at the top. She seemed to be in a much better mood than before, even humming to herself, her eyes closed, as the strings aligned themselves into perfect harmony. They had split the sleeping area already – girls on one side, boys on the other – but at the moment Sora was sitting on a blanket with Kairi, and Tidus was sitting on a blanket with Selphie. Wakka was stretched out on a blanket of his own, for once quiet as he stared up at the night sky. Riku took a spot next to Geni, sitting down on the soft sand, while still watching out for the other instruments she had brought – her flute, a small harp-like instrument, a hand drum, a tambourine, a pair of maracas, and a kazoo.

Riku smiled at the last one. _Sora must have slipped that in there at the last minute._ As she finished, she looked up and saw Riku looking at her. Geni blushed a little, turning away with a smile on her face.

"What a perfect night," Selphie said with a sigh. "Even with a…slightly rough start, right?" she said, rolling her eyes toward Geni.

"No worries. Besides, this is Kairi's night. Let's enjoy it!" Geni replied. "Any requests, birthday girl?"

Kairi closed her eyes, thinking. Opening them, she said, "Do you know 'Suddenly I See' by KT Tunstall?"

"Coming right up," she said with a smile. Geni strummed a few chords, before heading into the introduction:

_Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world,_

_You can see she's a beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl._

_And everything around her is a silver pool of light,_

_The people who surround her feel the benefit of it  
It makes you calm…  
She holds you captivated in her palm. _

Suddenly I see (suddenly I see)  
This is what I wanna be  
Suddenly I see (suddenly I see)  
Why the hell it means so much to me.

I feel like walking the world, like walking the world,  
You can hear she's a beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl.  
She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white,  
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember  
What you heard…  
She likes to leave you hanging on her word

Suddenly I see (suddenly I see)  
This is what I wanna be  
Suddenly I see (suddenly I see)  
Why the hell it means so much to me.

And she's taller than most  
And she's looking at me.  
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine.  
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower  
A big strong tower  
She got the power to be  
The power to give  
The power to see.

Suddenly I see (suddenly I see)  
This is what I wanna be  
Suddenly I see (suddenly I see)  
Why the hell it means so much to me. 

Geni strummed a few chords before allowing her guitar to fall into silence. Cheers and clapping erupted from around her, and she gave them a little smile before she pretended to have to give full attention to retuning her guitar.

"That was amazing! It sounded like it came off of the radio," Tidus said.

"Ooh! Ooh! Me next!" Selphie cried, raising her hand in the air.

"What is it?" Geni asked her.

Selphie looked down, looking a bit sheepish. "Could you sing 'Eyes On Me' by Faye Wong next?"

Geni scratched her head for a moment. "Yeah…it's been a while, but I think I remember it." She once again strummed her guitar, playing a few chords before she began to nod to herself.

_Whenever sang my songs – on the stage, on my own,_

_Whenever said my words, wishing they would be heard._

_I saw you smiling at me – was it real, or just my fantasy?_

_You'd always be there in the corner,_

_Of this tiny little bar._

_My last night here for you – same old songs, just once more,_

_My last night here with you?_

_Maybe yes, maybe no._

_I kind of liked it your way – how you shyly placed your eyes on me._

_Did you ever know, that I had mine on you?_

_Darling, so there you are, with that look on your face,_

_As if you'll never hurt, as if you'll never down._

_Shall I be the one for you, who pinches you softly, but sure_

_If frown is shown then I will know that you are no dreamer._

_So let me come to you, close as I want to be._

_Close enough for me to feel your heart beating fast._

_And stay there as I whisper how I love your peaceful eyes on me_

_Did you ever know that I had mine on you?_

_Darling, so share with me your love if you have enough,_

_Your tears if you're holding back, your pain if that's what it is._

_How can I let you know, I'm more than the dress and the bow?_

_Just reach me out and then, you will know that you're not dreaming._

_Darling, so there you are, with that look on your face,_

_As if you're never hurt, as if you're never down._

_Shall I be the one for you, who pinches you softly but sure,_

_If frown is shown then I will know that you are no dreamer._

As Geni held out the last note and it faded into the night, silence was heard around the campfire. She looked up to see Kairi leaning slightly onto Sora's shoulder, and in the shadows Selphie's hand looked to be _almost_ on top of Tidus's. "That was beautiful," Selphie said in a hushed voice.

"Ya, ya," Wakka finally piped up from his silence. He was waving his hand around, dismissing whatever sappy atmosphere that had accrued around him. "Enough with the girly songs. Do you know 'Hunting High and Low' by Stratovarius?"

"Sure thing, Wakka," she replied, laughing.

_I feel the wind in my hair,_

_And it's whispering, telling me things,_

_Of the storm that is gathering near,_

_Through the power I'm spreading my wings._

_Now I'm leaving my worries behind,_

_Be the freedom of body and mind._

_I am starting my journey,_

_I'm drifting away with the wind…I know…_

_I am hunting high and low._

_Diving from the sky above,_

_Looking for more and more, once again…_

_I'm hunting high and low._

_Sometimes I may win, sometimes I lose,_

_It's just a game that I play._

_After the storm there's a calm,_

_Through the glow shines the ray of the sun,_

_I am carried from all of the harm,_

_There is no one that I can't outrun._

_Now I'm leaving my worries behind,_

_Be the freedom of body and mind._

_I am starting my journey,_

_I'm drifting away with the wind…I know…_

_I am hunting high and low._

_Diving from the sky above,_

_Looking for more and more, once again…_

_I'm hunting high and low._

_Sometimes I may win, sometimes I lose,_

_It's just a game that I play._

She repeated the refrain several times, her guitar singing out the harsh, dissonant chords into the night.

"Ah, much better," Wakka sighed, closing his eyes.

"Alright. If you guys don't mind, can I choose the next one?" Geni asked them all. Encouragement was given all around. "Okay. I don't know if anyone will recognize this one or not, but it's got a lovely melody to it." She began to pluck the guitar in a syncopated pattern, swaying slightly to the music in her head.

_Fukai__ fukai mori no oku ni, ima mo kitto_

_Okizari ni shita kokoro, kakushite'ru yo_

_Sagasu hodo no chikara mo naku, tsukarehateta_

_Hitobito wa eien no, yami ni kieru_

_Chisai mama nara, kitto, ima demo mieta ka na._

_Boku-tachi wa, ikiru hodo ni,_

_Nakushiteku, sukoshi zutsu,_

_Itsuwari ya, uso wo matoi_

_Tachisukumu, koe mo naku._

_Aoi aoi sora no iro mo, kidzukanai mama,_

_Sugite yuku mainichi ga, kawatte yuku,_

_Tsukurareta wakugumi wo koe, ima wo ikite,_

_Sabitsuita, kokoro mata ugokidasu yo,_

_Toki no rizumu wo shireba, mo ichido toberu darou._

_Boku-tachi wa, samayoi nagara,_

_Ikite yuku, doko made mo,_

_Shinjite'ru, hikari motome,_

_Arukidasu, kimi to ima._

_Boku-tachi wa, ikiru hodo ni,_

_Nakushiteku, sukoshi zutsu,_

_Itsuwari ya, uso wo matoi_

_Tachisukumu, koe mo naku._

_Boku-tachi wa, samayoi nagara,_

_Ikite yuku, doko made mo,_

_Furikaeru, michi wo tozashi,_

_Aruite'ku, eien ni._

_Tachisukumu koe mo naku,_

_Ikite yuku eien ni._

She held out the last note for a while, as the strings finished vibrating. Looking up, she had not realized that she had been off in her own little world as she had sung. Her friends were eying her with a mix of wonder and peculiarity. "Did you guys like it?" she asked quietly.

Kairi was the first to answer her. "It was beautiful in its own way. I didn't understand the words, but it made me feel so sad…like I was never going to see another sunrise."

Sora nodded in agreement. "I felt the same way. But, at times it felt like there was a small glimmer of light, of hope, far off in the distance." He paused. "What does it mean?"

Geni gently set down her guitar next to her on the blanket, and folded her hands in her lap, looking into the fire. "That song is from a long time ago, from a world full of humans and demons."

"Demons?!" Selphie cried, startled.

"Oh, no! Not like that," Geni quickly assuaged her. "Even though some of them were evil, most of the demons were nice and lived alongside the humans peacefully. This song is about a legendary half human-half demon named Inuyasha who fell in love with a human girl named Kagome." She closed her eyes momentarily. "It's strange that I've remembered this song now, considering how similar it is to our past endeavors."

"Really?" Riku asked her. "How so?"

"Well…I think it would be best if I told you the words so you could understand it better." She closed her eyes and began to recite:

"Exhausted, without the strength to search people vanish into the infinite darkness. If it's so small, I wonder if I can see it even now. As we live on, we lose a little bit more. Shrouded in falsehoods and lies, we stand frozen to the spot, unable to cry out. The days pass by and change, without us even realizing how blue the sky really is. Overcoming that made-up scheme, we live the present and our rusted hearts begin to beat again. If we can find the rhythm of time, we can fly once again. We live our lives, wandering to the ends of the earth. Believing in you, now I begin my journey with you in search of the light. We live our lives, wandering to the ends of the earth. Closing off the way back, we walk on for eternity. We live our lives standing frozen to the spot, unable to cry out, for eternity…" As she finished, she could see knowing looks come to the faces of Sora, Kairi, and Riku. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie on the other hand just looked confused. Geni felt the mood of the party begin to drop again, and quickly laughed out loud. "It's just a song you guys. Don't put too much thought into it."

Riku turned and looked at her, the smile she was forcing out at them quite evident. _Hmm_, he thought to himself, _maybe it's time to get going._ Standing up, he stretched his arms above his head. "Man, I've been sitting for too long. I'm going to go take a walk."

"Okay, see you later," Tidus waved as Riku began to walk off down the beach into the darkened night. Sora, on the other hand, stood up and walked over to where the instruments were and grabbed a few, tossing miscellaneous ones to his friends. "Our turn!" he said brightly.

"For what?" Geni asked, puzzled.

"You'll see later," he said mischievously. Walking back over to her, he pulled her up by her hands and gave her a gentle shove in the general direction of where Riku had walked of to. "You have other things to do."

She turned around, looking confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on," Kairi said from across the fire. "Are you saying that you were completely oblivious to that open invitation from him?" Finally understanding their motives, Geni blushed deeply.

"You mean...I..."

"Hurry up," Sora said, giving her yet another gentle shove. She looked at them once more, before shaking her head and trotting off down the beach into the darkness as well. "Geez," Sora said as he went over and plopped himself down next to Kairi. "And I thought she was the smart twin." The five of them laughed, readying to keep themselves occupied to give their two friends some alone time for a while.

Geni was walking down the beach, retracing her frenzied steps from before. She had used to her magic to sense that Riku had once again gone through the door connecting the two sides of the island. On the other side, only the light from a sliver of the moon and the stars lit her way. She looked around in the darkness searching for Riku as she walked over the wooden planks. She stepped onto the land once more, pausing at the base of the lookout tower.

"Why did I listen to Sora?" she mumbled to herself. She walked a few more steps towards the edge of the small cliff that overlooked a small cove on the back of the island, facing towards the open sea. A small breeze played through the leaves of the bushes and trees behind her, rustling them slightly. It was a beautiful night – there were no clouds in the sky, and she could see for miles out into the ocean. The tropical flowers scented the islands in a quaint fragrance, and the smell of sea salt permeated everything. Geni inhaled deeply, enjoying the view and the night, while trying to quiet the sense of uneasiness she was feeling in the pit of her stomach for following Riku.

_I mean, I like Riku...a lot, I guess,_ she thought to herself._ But who does Sora think he is, trying to play matchmaker with us? All of us can see that he likes Kairi – he's in the same boat as I am in with Riku. Whenever he's around, I feel so strange – butterflies in my stomach, usually turning a pale shade of pink too. But why? I mean, he's always been there for me, making me smile when I feel like crying; helping me up when I've fallen or been hurt; he even goes out of his way sometimes to show me new things that are the everyday typical to him. Why do I feel so happy whenever he's around?_ And then an odd thought struck her, something someone had said to her a long time ago. _Do I...am I...in love with Riku?_

"Nice view, isn't it?" a male voice whispered quietly into her ear. Geni shrieked and jumped about six feet into the air. Gulping in a large breath of air, she began to turn around to shout at whoever had dared to scare her. She had her mouth open as she turned but her shout turned into a small squeak when she saw that it was Riku. He stood there, bent slightly so he was eye level with her, a small smirk upon his face. "A little jumpy tonight, aren't you?"

"Don't do that!" she said, smacking him gently on his shoulder.

"What, me catching you off guard? Is the world coming to an end again?" he said, laughing as he stood back up.

"No! I mean – I was just looking out at the ocean, and thinking..." here she paused, her previous thought returning to the forefront of her mind, making her blush again. She turned around quickly and walked a few steps away from him, not trusting her voice to betray her at that moment. "N-never mind."

Riku furrowed his brows. "Alright, if you say so." He quietly walked over and stood next to her, watching the wave's crash upon the beach below them. "So, why did you follow me over here?"

"I didn't _want_ to, but Sora thought that you might want some company. I was voted to go, even though Selphie was quite willing."

"Liar," he said. She was about to yell out at the indignity when Riku suddenly grabbed one of her hands and spun her around. Before she could retaliate a piece of cloth was slipped over her eyes and she was shut out from the world around her. Believing she was being attacked (for some odd reason), she almost instinctively she sent out her magic to sense the area around them, but it was suddenly repelled back to her. She tried again and again, but she could not sense anything just outside of a few inches around her. She could feel someone's hand on her shoulder, and one adjusting her blindfold. "Riku?" she said, almost fearfully.

"Right here," he said next to her ear. "Comfortable?"

"What's going on? What did you do? I can't use my magic...I can't see..."

"You're fine," he said soothingly. "You can still use your magic; it's just that your magical sense has been dimmed so you can't peek." The movement around her head stopped and he took his other hand off of her shoulder, so she felt completely alone and vulnerable. She heard someone walking around, and figured it was Riku, but for some reason her heart started to pound and she became even more apprehensive.

She stretched her hands out, and walked a step or two forward. "Riku? Riku, where are you?" she called out to him, fear evident in her voice. Suddenly, a strong pair of hands caught hers and held onto them tightly.

"I'm still here," he said gently. "I'll always be here, remember?" he added quietly. "Now, don't worry and leave everything to me. Just relax, okay?"

"Okay," she replied quietly. She felt Riku tug on her hands just a little, and she complied and began to walk towards his pull. She allowed him to lead her around, her feet making soft swishing noises in the sand below her. She froze for a moment when she felt them beginning to go down hill, but with a squeeze from Riku's hand she relaxed and followed him without another thought. After a few minutes of slow walking, he stopped. She used her ears, listening for sound. The sound of the waves crashing was much closer now, and the breeze was almost nonexistent.

"We're here," Riku said to her. "Now, just wait for one second." He let go of her hands and she heard him walk around her, small scuffling and shuffling noises accompanying him. Geni could only wonder what was going on.

_What's he up to?_ she thought to herself. _Even a magic diminishing blindfold? Where the heck did he get one of – _and here she almost began to laugh out loud. _Of course! Why didn't I realize it before? Now I know who has been making all of those calls to castle. But for what reason?_ She was about to find out, because Riku had once again walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"All set," he said happily. "Off it goes." And with that he slipped her blindfold off. Geni opened her eyes, and gasped at the vision before her. Spread out on the beach was a romantic spot for two. A thick blanket was laid atop the sand, and on it were a picnic basket and several glowing stones as big as her palm. She recognized the stones immediately; they were used back at the castle as night lights for the children. "Surprise," Riku whispered quietly.

She spun around, her eyes wide. "Riku! What is –? How did you –?" she stuttered. "What _is_ all of this?" she said as she spread her arm out, indicating the blanket and its contents.

"It's for you," he said, walking up to her. She stood there, dumbstruck. He stood in front of her for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her. "Do you know what today is?" he asked her quietly.

"Today?" she mumbled into his shirt. "It's Friday, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," he said with a small chuckle at her bewilderment. "But today is special. Exactly one year ago today is when I met you, on the beach at night in our dreams." Here he paused. "It's...not the same as there, but..." he was stopped when he felt a finger upon his lips. He looked down to see her staring up at him, her eyes shining in the little light available. She had reached her arm up and placed her index finger upon his lips, quieting him.

"I hadn't forgotten," she said, smiling. "I...was not sure if it was as important to you as it was to me." He shook his head, and tried to speak. Geni pressed her finger against his lips a little harder. "Let me finish. You don't know what it has meant to me, coming to live here with all of you. It feels like I finally came home to where I belonged. Even so, I still felt like an outsider at times while the rest of you settled back into your old lives here." Her hand fell from his lips, as well as her gaze left his to wander downwards. Riku was still, not daring to move. He wasn't sure just where this conversation was going. "But..." he heard her say. He saw her look up at him, a large smile gracing her face. "You were always there for me, making sure I was alright, teaching me new things, and helping me to feel better when I was lonely or homesick. There aren't enough words or actions in the universe to tell or show you this, but...thank you, Riku, for everything. I'm so glad I met you." And with that, she returned his gesture, wrapping him tightly in her arms and burying her head into his shirt.

"Geni..." he said quietly. They stood there for a few moments, until Riku felt something vibrating in his pocket. _That must be them,_ he thought. He pushed Geni away slightly, looking down into her surprised eyes. "You took the words straight out of my mouth. I wanted to tell you, to show you how much knowing you has meant to me. Throughout my time in the dark realm, and yours, and through battling Xehanort's Heartless inside of me, you've always been there to keep the darkness at bay. I you hadn't been there to help me I probably would have succumbed to the darkness long ago. You saved me." He paused to take her hands in his. "I racked my brains, trying to think of a way to say thank you. After some thorough searching, I finally figured out one way to say it."

"You did? What?" she asked, puzzled.

"You'll see...it should start pretty soon," he replied, his answer vague. Letting go of on of her hands, he led her over to the blanket and the bright stones. As they sat down, Riku opened the picnic basket and proudly showed her how he had packed them midnight snacks that he had made himself. There were only little sandwiches, some cookies and sweets, and water, but Geni smiled and hid the fact that she was impressed with even that much.

The night was cooling rapidly as they sat there amidst the soft light. They both ate a little of the food, still quite full from dinner. As Geni finished swallowing the last of a chocolate chip cookie, she turned to Riku. He looked preoccupied, staring up into the sky and fiddling with something in his pocket. "Something wrong?" she asked.

He turned to her, taking his hand out of his pocket and smiling. "No, nothing's wrong." He was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, while Geni had tucked her legs under her. They were both a little nervous; Geni was trying to take up the least amount of space on the blanket, while Riku was trying to break the ice by sitting casually. But even with her sweatshirt on, the cool air was slowly beginning to seep into their skin. Geni unconsciously rubbed her hands over her arms, the action not unnoticed by Riku. However, before he could say anything, the signal from up above finally came – a single shooting star shot through the sky. They both happened to notice it, and Geni let out a small squeak.

"A shooting star!" she exclaimed.

"Better make a wish," Riku advised. She nodded, and then closed her eyes tightly. While she wasn't looking, Riku lifted up the corner of the blanket nearest to him and got out a tiny box and set it next to him, out of her line of sight. He also tapped the small radio in his pocket a few times, and looked up to see his plan coming to fruition. "Geni?" he whispered. "Open your eyes."

Geni had been making her wish, hoping it would come true (although it was quite unlikely) when she heard Riku say for her to open her eyes. "What's the mat–?" she started until her voice caught in her throat. She stared out towards the ocean, where in the night sky dozens of shooting stars were falling out of the heavens. But what made her smile were not the unusual colors of the meteor shower, but that it was continuing nonstop. As she continued to stare, they continued to fall without fail.

"Surprise," Riku whispered to her. "You like meteor showers, right?"

Geni turned to him, tears of joy threatening to fall from her eyes. "Riku!" she exclaimed, before diving headfirst into him, hugging him so hard he almost couldn't breathe. She let up after a moment so she could turn to watch the celestial display – while still leaning into him as if he were a comfortable chair. "How did you know about this?" she asked him, not really expecting an answer because her eyes never once left the sky.

Riku was speechless twofold: Geni's reaction to his gift, and the fact that when she dove into his arms she planted herself literally on his lap so his legs were surrounding both of them. He, a warrior of the light and destroyer of Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII, was scared to move lest he compromise their situation any farther. After a few moments, he decided to wrap his arms around her, both of them watching the unusual spectacle fall from the sky.

_She likes to watch meteor showers that much?_ He reminded himself to thank Queen Minnie several times over when they went home tomorrow. For now, though, he was quite happy with Geni in his arms watching the colorful show high above them.

"Hey, what's that?" Kairi said, pointing up. The four friends turned to look up towards the tops of the trees. Dozens of colored lights were falling out of the sky towards the earth, and just as many taking their place after the initial ones had disappeared. "Is it a meteor shower?"

"I don't know," Tidus answered her with a shrug. "I've never seen a rainbow colored meteor shower before though."

"It sure is pretty," Selphie sighed.

Sora smiled. As the stars continued to fall without stop, he could only assume that it was Riku's doing. _Hmm, so that's what his big surprise was? A meteor shower? I guess as long as it makes her happy, that's what really counts._

After almost a half an hour of watching the sky fall, the shooting stars fell in number until the last few plummeted and disappeared over the horizon. Geni was quite comfortable in Riku's arms, leaning back into him as he supported them both on the blanket. Without the bonfire to warm them, it was quite chilly in the little cove, and their combined body heat warmed both of them pleasantly. When the display finished, she brought her hands up and placed them over Riku's arm in front of her.

"Did you like your present?" he asked her.

"I did," she replied. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you." She was then silent, her head tilted downwards.

"What is it?" Riku asked her as he bent forwards a little.

"You gave me that wonderful present, but I have nothing to give you in return that would even come close to that."

"You already have," he said quietly. "Just being here with you is all I could ever want." It was his turn to pause. "When you…died, at The World That Never Was, when you gave up your heart to save us…I thought I was going to vanish right along with you. My heart shattered into millions of pieces – I doubt if even Naminé could have put it back together. But then you came back to us. I'm still not sure exactly how _that_ happened, but I'm glad it happened nonetheless." He brought his left arm down and picked up the little box he had set next to him. "Oh, and by the way, that wasn't your only present – here." He brought the box in front of her, and heard her inhale sharply.

"Riku," she whispered.

"Just open it."

Geni took the box from his hand. It was a little black box, nothing special. She gingerly took off the lid and gasped. Inside was a plain little silver chain, but the pendant proudly attached to it in the middle was a tiny purple and green thalassa shell, quite rare on their islands. Normally the shells were large, purple, and yellow, rather than small and green at their star-shaped point. "Riku, it's beautiful," she said softly. "But wherever did you find something like this?"

"That's a secret," he said with a laugh. He wasn't about to admit to searching endlessly for days all around the islands for it, getting up very early and staying up very late with a flashlight searching for one. "But, do you like it?"

"I love it," she said, turning around in his arms to face him. "You're still making me feel bad for not getting you anything though."

"I said don't worry about it," he replied. "Now are you going to try it on, or what?"

"Fine, fine," she said with a laugh. She took the chain and pendant out of the box and slipped it onto her neck, then locked the clasp at the back of her neck. The necklace hung on her neck as if it had meant to exist there all along. "How does it look?" she asked him.

"Very pretty," he told her.

Geni watched Riku carefully. His silver hair shined in the light from the stones, and his aquamarine eyes shone playfully in the darkness. Even his smile was bright; it seemed only to glimmer for her on this night. "Riku?" she asked, hesitantly, as she turned her head to the side.

"Yes?"

"I…I…" she said, fumbling for the right words.

"I love you, Geni."

Her head shot up in surprise, mere seconds before Riku leaned forward and pressed his lips against her own. Geni's eyes grew as large as an owl's, her brain short circuiting, before her sanity took over and she could react to Riku's sudden confession.

Riku's mind was also reeling. _What am I doing?! I shouldn't have done this! Why am I still sitting here kissing her! She isn't even –_ but before he could think another thought, Geni's arms had wrapped around his neck and she was pressing back, deepening the kiss. Riku smiled into the kiss as he returned the gesture, bringing his arms around her back to pull her against him. They sat there for what seemed like hours, before they finally had to break away from each other and take several deep breaths. They stared at each other, breathing deeply, their entire universe consisting of only the two of them.

"Riku…" Geni breathed softly. "I…I don't know what to say…" she whispered as she turned away from him. Now that the subject she had been pondering on earlier was out in the open between them, could she say it to him? Could she tell him her heart's true desire? "Riku, I…"

"Shh," he whispered, as he pulled her into his arms. She lay her head down upon his chest; it rose and fell with each of his warm breaths. "I…I just had to tell you. I know that was a little sudden, and unexpected. But, if you can't say it now, it's okay. _Really_. I won't be angry or hurt if you don't say it back right away. So, take your time. When you feel that the time is right, you'll know. I'll wait for you until then."

Geni smiled. As usual, Riku knew exactly what to say to assuage her doubts. "Thank you," she whispered. "All I can say, right now, is…" she paused. "I just want to stay here, like this, for a little longer." She curled up into his embrace, her eyes closing as she listened to the steady beating of his heart.

"Of course." And he had meant every word of what he said. Even if she couldn't tell him, having her there with him, in his arms tonight, was all he really needed. Riku gave her a little squeeze, their combined breath puffing visibly into the cool night air…


	6. Apprehension

Chapter 5

Riku and Geni stayed in each other's arms for a little longer, before inevitably the cold night air and sleep began to catch up with them. They had been there for almost three hours total, when Riku decided they should be getting back to the others. He hated himself for saying it, but Geni assured him by confirming his decision. They were both only wearing thin swim suits, and each might get sick if they didn't warm up near the bonfire soon. Geni collected the stones, dimming their light before placing them into the basket, while Riku shook out the blanket and wrapped it carefully and placed it in the basket as well.

As they began the short trek back, Geni swinging the picnic basket from her arm, Riku slide his hand into hers and squeezed it gently. This time, although Geni did blush a little, she leaned into his arm. They walked in silence to the doorway that led to the other side of the island. Once through, they could see the bonfire still crackling merrily with their friends all sitting around it. As they approached, Geni's grip on Riku's hand tightened. He squeezed back, giving her more confidence.

Sora was the first to notice the two figures heading towards them in the darkness. "They're back," he said casually, but quietly, to the rest of the group. The rest either darted their eyes quickly in their direction, or nodded almost imperceptibly. While Riku and Geni were gone, the five of them had discussed the current welfare of their friends. While only two of them understood their past and the need for them to support each other, the rest had eventually realized that the two of them were literally a living metaphor: you couldn't have peanut butter without jelly, macaroni without cheese, or as Sora had put it – pancakes without syrup. But, to get back to the main point, Geni and Riku were half of each other; they understood each other better than anyone else ever could. So when one was sad, the other was as well. Hence the "alone time" they had so graciously given them.

As the two of them came and joined the rest of the group, fingers entwined, there were no jokes or giggles. "How was your walk?" Tidus asked Riku. The five of them were still seated as they had been when the two of them left.

"Enjoyable," he answered. "Have you all been entertaining yourselves all this time? I hope Sora didn't try –"

"He didn't," Kairi quickly interjected before Sora could follow that thought. "We were just talking for a bit – most of us are tired so we thought it would be best to just finish the party in our sleeping bags. We were about to get ready when we saw you two heading up the beach."

"Oh! I hope we weren't holding up anything," Geni quickly said.

"No, not at all," Selphie pitched in. "Either way, girls are first. Stay _here_ boys, or else," she warned as she stood up and gave them a death glare.

"Or else what?" Wakka said, sitting up on his blanket. "Like we would want to."

"What does that mean?!" Selphie sputtered. "Are you saying that I'm –!?"

"Whoa, Selphie, calm down." Geni quickly stepped between Selphie and her intended target. "Wakka didn't mean a thing by it. Let's just go change, okay?" she said as she gently pushed Selphie backwards towards the tree house.

"He better not have," they heard her mutter as the two of them walked away. Kairi only rolled her eyes before running over to join them. This left the four boys alone to attend the fire for a few minutes. As Riku sat down, he felt an eerie presence surround him. Looking up, he saw mischievous glints in Sora, Tidus, and Wakka's eyes. The three of them had stood up and were coming over to surround him.

"What's up guys?" Riku asked nervously.

"So, how was your _walk_?" Wakka implied.

"Yeah. Anything…_interesting_…happen?" Tidus added.

"What did the two of you do, exactly?" Sora asked him as he bent down to look directly into Riku's quickly reddening face.

"Do?" he stalled. "We didn't do anything. We took a walk, that's all – exactly as I said I would do."

"Come on, give it up Riku. That meteor shower was your doing, wasn't it?" Sora pegged him. "Was that the _gift_ you were referring to earlier?"

"So what if it was?" Riku defended himself, crossing his arms in front of him and eying them all with a raised eyebrow.

"Did she at least like it, hey brother?" Wakka asked him. The three of them crowded him even more so.

"I…I…"

"Well, did she or didn't she?" Tidus sighed.

"Come on Riku, these are only simple questions," Sora smirked.

"She did! Fine! Okay – happy now?" he practically shouted at them. "She was absolutely thrilled with it and we sat there the entire time watching it together."

"Good for you," Sora said briskly as he straightened up. "That's all we wanted to know." And with that, the three boys went to their respective blankets to unfurl their sleeping bags, large grins on their faces.

"Wha-what?" Riku stuttered. "What was with the third degree just now?"

"Oh, nothing special," Tidus said. "But you had better get your stuff ready before the girls get back." At that moment, Riku immediately realized that something was different with the set up of the sleeping arrangements. There were seven blankets on the ground with their sleeping bags on top of them. Three on one side of the fire for the girls, and four on the other for the boys. However, Riku had been in the middle of his section before, and now he realized that his things had been moved to the edge next to the girl's side. And who had the honorable spot of sleeping on the next blanket over? Whoever owned the guitar lying on it, of course.

"Alright, fine, you win." Riku stood up, giving them each a glare in turn.

"What?" Sora asked him.

"I give up with you guys. So, I have to ask: why the preferential treatment?"

"Oh, is that all?" Tidus replied, yawning as he turned back to his work. "Wakka didn't want to catch cooties from Selphie so we had to move his stuff and yours. Ouch! Hey!" Tidus rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head where Wakka's sandal had made contact with his skull.

"Wanna rephrase that, brother?" Wakka suggested.

"Not again guys," Sora moaned. Just then, they heard voices heading towards them. "Zip it, you two," he warned them.

"We're back! Your turn guys!" Kairi said enthusiastically. Kairi and Selphie were each wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, while Geni had on a pair of comfy, slightly baggy pants and a plain tank top; they were her favorite pajamas, of course – a black background with rainbow rubber duckies all over them.

"Much better," she said with a smile as she walked towards her sleeping bag.

"We'll be back then," Sora called over his shoulder as he corralled his still arguing friends towards the tree house, Riku hot on their trail. However, it was Geni's turn for questioning as the boys left.

"So, what happened?" Kairi asked excitedly as she opened up her bag.

"You mean, before?" Geni asked.

"Of course. What else would we be talking about? So, what did you guys do? Was it a romantic walk on the beach in the moonlight?" Selphie questioned her, sighing loudly.

"Sort of. We watched a meteor shower from the cove on the other side of the island, and…"

"And what?" Selphie asked, quickly running over to her.

"He, uh…um…he gave me this." She took out the shell pendant from under her shirt. She had not purposefully hidden it, but had not revealed it since changing.

"Oh!" Selphie sighed.

"How beautiful," Kairi added. "That kind of thalassa shell is rare on the islands. Talk about a special gift."

"It's so pretty," Selphie said. "But why did he give it to you?"

"Well, it's been exactly one year since we first met."

"Really? You two met during your adventures? How romantic! Was he, like, a knight in shining armor or something? Did he rescue you like in the stories and you fell in love at first sight?" Selphie fired at her.

"Whoa, whoa, one question at a time Selphie. The first time we met, Riku thought I was Sora, then an enemy, at first."

"Then what happened?" Kairi asked, enthralled by the story. Both girls were standing there, hanging onto her every word. Geni laughed at their eagerness.

"Well, Riku tried to…well, never mind, it's not important. What is important is that he found out I was human and _not_ a Nobody. From then on, we talked a lot and got to know each other more. That was while we were dreaming at night; we didn't really meet in person until the final battles in The World That Never Was."

"How romantic!" Selphie sighed yet again. "I wish I had a guy a nice as Riku to watch over me like that."

"Who would want to? You would talk them to death before they had a chance to." Selphie spun around to see Wakka laughing.

"That's not funny Wakka!" she said, her eyes trying to pierce holes through his head.

"Ya, ya. You're _way_ too tough to need protection anyway," he muttered, dismissing the conversation as he walked over and plopped himself down and into his sleeping bag.

"Of course I am!" Selphie retorted as she retreated to her own spot. The boys had come back from changing into their sleeping clothes, plain shorts and shirts like the girls.

"Can't we decide this in the morning?" Sora moaned. "I'm tired."

"Fine with me," Selphie and Wakka said at the same time. Both instantly glared at one another, before Selphie sniffed indignantly and Wakka burrowed into his sleeping bag.

"Thank you," he said with a yawn. "Alright, goodnight everyone." Murmurs of pleasant dreams floated around the fire, several personal ones between Sora and Kairi and Geni and Riku. Sora, of course, had gotten the spot next to Kairi like Riku had with Geni, so they were talking quietly as the rest of them settled down for the night. Tidus stirred the fire and added several logs before hopping into his bag as well.

Riku was scrunching himself down into the bag with only minor difficulties; the several inches he had grown during his absence were making it difficult to fit into the sleeping bag he had borrowed from his father even. However, after bending his legs slightly, the bag fit like a glove and he lay on his back, watching the stars overhead.

Geni was also currently enjoying the night. She snuggled down into the warmth of her sleeping bag, the fire and it taking off the chill that she had accumulated while she and Riku had watched the meteor shower. Recalling the events of less than an hour ago, she smiled to herself and brought her hand up to finger the thalassa shell around her neck. It was so smooth, and slightly warm from where it touched her skin.

As Riku watched the sky above him, he heard small murmurs coming from behind him. He turned over slightly, smiling at the scene before him. Geni was curled to face the fire, smiling softly, her fingers lightly brushing over the shell hanging from her neck. "I take it you really like it," he whispered quietly.

Geni turned her head up quickly, catching his gaze with a grin. She flipped herself onto her stomach to talk to him. "Of course I do," she whispered softly back. "Thank you so much, Riku…for everything tonight. It was absolutely wonderful."

"I'm glad," he said. He darted his gaze around the fire for a moment. Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie were either turned away from the fire or covered with their sleeping bags, and Sora and Kairi were quietly talking on the other side of the fire so as not to disturb their soon to be asleep friends. Nodding to himself, he turned fully onto his chest and snaked one arm out of his sleeping bag and towards Geni's. She observed his actions, copying them until their fingers brushed over one another's and intertwined. Geni smiled at him, then laid her head back down upon her other arm, her eyes gradually closing as she slowly succumbed to sleep. Even so, the smile never left her lips.

"Goodnight, and sweet dreams," Riku whispered to her as he lay down as well.

"…always," he heard her mumble back quietly before her breathing began to deepen and even out. Riku studied her for a while, their hands still interconnected, as his own eyes slowly began to weigh heavily on his face.

Two pairs of blue eyes watched with mirth as their friends slowly fell asleep. Especially the two on the opposite side of the fire from them. "Do you think they had a good time?" Kairi whispered to Sora. They were propped up on their elbows, murmured quietly.

"I think so. It was quite the show to watch tonight," Sora said, chuckling. Even though the friends had decided to give the others some alone time, it was not to say that they hadn't quietly snuck over and watched them after the meteor shower had started. Sora smiled to himself; Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie had grown bored of just watching the two of them sit there, and so left before it was over. Kairi also left after a few minutes, but as Sora was leaving he heard Riku utter to his sister the three little words that had changed their lives for the better. He blushed, also remembering the passionate kiss the two had shared just after that as well.

"Sora?" Sora snapped out of his reminiscing. Kairi was looking at him strangely.

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" he asked, turning his head to hide his reddening face.

"I asked you twice what time Donald and Goofy were coming to pick up Geni tomorrow."

Sora's head snapped back towards her. _That's right! I almost forgot; and just after tonight too._ "Tomorrow afternoon," he told her quickly. "She'll be staying at the castle until a few days before school starts so she can pack up her books and such."

"That long? I thought it was only going to be a few weeks, not over a month."

Sora shrugged. "I don't know. Geni said she and Queen Minnie were going on some kind of bonding trip before she had to leave for a long time. To tell you the truth, I think that Geni staying here is affecting Queen Minnie more than anyone. They were so close all those years; it's hard to adapt after being around each other for so long."

"Makes sense then, I suppose," Kairi sighed. Her sigh turned into a long yawn, her eyes watering slightly. "Well, I'm beat. Goodnight Sora."

"Hey...Kairi?"

"Yes?"

Sora stared at her for a moment, until he swallowed the lump in his throat and scooted forward. He gave her a quick kiss on her lips. "Goodnight Kairi," he said softly.

Kairi blushed deeply as Sora started to pull away. Drawing up all of her courage, she balanced herself on one hand and grabbed Sora's retreating shoulder and drew him back towards her. Their eyes locked before their lips did, a rush of sudden passion as with their friends before them. Sora placed his free hand behind her head on her soft red locks, pulling her closer to him and deepening their kiss. Kairi closed her eyes, relishing the sweet taste of Sora's lips upon her own. Before long though they each had to pull away and take several deep breaths. "Goodnight Sora," she whispered quietly, lovingly. They slowly pulled away from each other and wiggled their way back into their sleeping bags, smiles gracing both of their faces as slumber finally claimed the last of the youths.

As the night wore on, the moon rose and fell in the sky until its sibling slowly began to rise over the horizon and turn the black night rosy with dawn. The fire had long since burned down into smoldering embers, and it was quiet on the little island. The seven teenagers were sleeping soundly around the ashes, four of them slightly closer than the other three. However, unbeknownst to them all, one of them was in the silent clutches of a horrific nightmare. Geni's eyebrows were furrowed, her fists clutching her sleeping bag, a sheen of sweat covering her forehead. She tossed and turned slightly, curling herself into her sleeping bag.

_You must! It is your duty!_

_How could you? They all trusted you!_

_It is your fault; you might as well have handed their demises to them on a silver platter!_

_After all that work...I am so disappointed in you..._

_You have been chosen, and so must take up the duty assigned to you. Do not blame others for your ignorance, and do not let others' ignorance be your shield. What will you do now?_

Suddenly, she sat up, her eyes wide with terror. She gulped in short spurts of air, her knuckles white from gripping her poor sleeping bag. As she slowly woke up, she looked around her. It was a little before dawn, the sky slowly turning pink and red. Her friends were all in a deep sleep yet around her. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. Her nightmare was still quite vivid, flashes of it dancing across her vision. She had had visions before while dreaming, but never as lucid as this before. Even her vision the day before while talking to Tidus was not this strong. She knew something bad, something _horrible,_ was going to happen...and was powerless to stop it. Geni gulped back a sob, hiding her face in her hands, so as not to awaken her blissfully unaware friends and family.

Gently and quietly, she stood up and carefully walked around her friends and towards the waterfall and spring near the tree house. Walking up the steps and over the pathway, she quickly walked over to the small steps leading into the pool. She kneeled down and cupped her hands into the cool water, bringing it up and splashing it all over her face several times. Her breathing was finally coming back under her control, and the fear that had gripped her was slowly alleviating. She kneeled there, her face and some of her hair dripping wet. She blinked her eyes clear several times, before chancing to look down into the water. Her reflection stared back at her for a moment before a ripple in the water suddenly changed it; what she could see of her reflection, her torso and head, was now wearing a leather breastplate and plain tan clothes with strange symbols surrounding the neck and sleeves. She also wore a choker around her neck; perched in its center was an oval disk with strange runes carved upon it. Her watery reflection stared back at her knowingly.

"No!" Geni hissed, swiping at the water and dispelling the apparition. "Not now!" Her strange twin disappeared, leaving her once again in her black pajamas with the rainbow rubber duckies on them. Her nightmare once again surfaced to her thoughts. She slammed her palms against her temples, forcing the vision from the forefront of her mind. She would think upon it later, _not_ now, at her own time of choosing. _Locārthú_, she cursed in her head. She slowly brought her hands down from her head, sighing in frustration. _I knew something was up last time; I guess I'll finally find out in a few days._

"Geni?" Geni quickly turned towards the voice, her body tense. Sora looked at her sleepily. She calmed down and smiled at him; thank goodness Sora wasn't a coherent morning person.

"Morning Sora," she said with a smile.

"What are you doing over here?" he said with a loud yawn.

"Just needed to clear the sleep from my eyes. What are you doing up so early?" she asked Sora as he slowly ambled towards her.

"Gotta go," he said sheepishly.

"Oh! We'll, I'll just leave you to that then." Geni quickly stood up and walked back towards the beach and to her sleeping bag. Looking around, she checked to make sure no one else was up yet. She quickly jumped into her sleeping bag and zippered it back up around her and turned away from everyone and towards the sunrise. Sitting there, she breathed deeply, dispelling the feeling of uneasiness that had suddenly gripped her. Like occasional mornings in the past, she wouldn't be going back to sleep this sunrise.

Less than an hour later, her friends began to awaken one by one. She had watched the sun slowly rise and come fully over the horizon, her nightmare slowly fading to the back of her mind where she could keep an eye on it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kairi sighed as she stretched and observed the morning before them.

"It is," Geni agreed.

"Thank goodness for Saturdays," Tidus said, sighing contentedly.

"An entire day to do what we want here without any adult interruption," Wakka added.

"Well, almost," Geni said. "I'm leaving this afternoon, so I have to go to the house around lunch time to pack."

"Really? I had forgotten about that," Selphie said, joining in on the conversation.

"Well, that still leaves plenty of time for fun," Sora said stoutly.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wakka exclaimed. "Let's go!" The seven teens quickly rolled up the blankets, sleeping bags, and changed back into their swimming suits. After eating a few of the leftovers for breakfast, they all charged headfirst into the waves. They spent the morning swimming and exploring the reefs around the little island, shelling, building sand castles, having more chicken fights, and just floating around enjoying the sunshine and warmth of the day.

However, before they knew it, Geni had to go back to the Akeno's to pack for her return trip to the castle after her few weeks on the islands. She grabbed all of her personal belongings from the night before and used one of her portals to drop her off just outside the front door. The others had offered to come and help pack, but she had politely declined their offer. She needed a little time to herself to ponder upon that morning before discussing it with a certain someone. As she walked in the door, she called out greetings to her biological parents.

"Good morning Geni!" her father called from the kitchen. "Hungry?"

"Not really," she admitted. "I came back to pack for this afternoon."

"What time are Donald and Goofy coming to get you?"

"In an hour or two."

"Do you need help packing?" her mother suggested from her spot at the counter. The two of them were making their own lunch of sandwiches. They had been enjoying the time to themselves without their children around, even though they had been thrilled with getting to know her these past few weeks.

"No, I can do it. Thank you though," she answered politely. And with that, Geni headed up to her room. She sat down on her bed, twirling her index finger around once in a circle. Immediately, the clutter in the room began to put itself away and straighten up. Geni lay back on her bed, watching as one of her shirt's zoomed over her head. In moments, there was silence yet again. Sighing, she sat up and dragged her suitcase out from under her bed and began to pack a few of her clothes in it. She now had two sets of clothes: one for here and one for back at the castle, so even including the few odds and ends she packed she was soon done.

Clicking the latches on the suitcase shut, she headed to her closet to change into some of her old clothes that she would wear at the castle, her purple outfit with the long tiered skirt. Nodding to herself, she went over and closed her door quietly and flicked the doorknob with her personal locking spell. Yet another spell went into silencing the room around her; no one would be able to hear anything going on inside, but she could hear everything outside. Once finished, she slowly walked over to her desk and took out a small wooden, rectangular box. She went over and sat on her bed before carefully opening it. Peering inside, she could see a choker similar to the one that the apparition in the water had worn, yet was different. The one from her vision had had different runes than the one that was currently lying in the box. In spite of this, only she knew what the differences meant, and now thinking upon it she began to worry.

"What does it all mean?" she whispered to herself. "My dream, the vision in the water, the changing runes…"

"Geni! Are you done packing yet?" Geni practically slammed the box closed. She had not even heard her father walk up the stairs.

"Almost! Just putting in a few last things, then I'll bring it downstairs."

"Alright – there's some lunch in the kitchen if you're hungry as well."

"Thank you!" she called back. She listened hard, hearing his footsteps thump back down the hallway and down the stairs. Sighing in relief, she quickly packed the small box into her suitcase under her clothes. Latching it closed once again, she walked around her room undoing the spells she had set. She was going to have to be more careful from now on, it seemed.

Less than an hour later, a gummi ship landed on the beach spraying sand from its rockets. Geni and her family and friends were waiting for it, covering their eyes from the brown particles blowing everywhere. Moments later, a duck and dog came ambling down the slowly lowering gangplank.

"Hey, long time no see!" Goofy called to them.

"Goofy!" Geni cried, running up to hug her old friend.

"What, am I invisible or something?" Donald quacked jokingly.

"Oh Donald!" she laughed, bending down to give him a hug.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her. "King Mickey wanted us to be back before that solar wind storm begins blowing."

"Yes, I'm ready. I just have to say goodbye to everyone."

"Alright. Well, let me take your suitcase then," Goofy offered. Geni gratefully gave it to him, and then nodded before turning back to her friends and family. She first went over and gave hugs to Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka.

"Come back soon, okay?" Selphie asked.

"Ya," Wakka added. "School will start before we know it and then there won't be anytime for fun anymore."

"I'll be back a few days before school starts," she promised them. "The only reason I'm staying so long at the castle is to finish my lessons with Master Yen Sid."

"Sounds like an important guy," Tidus said thoughtfully.

"He's one of the people who taught me magic."

"Can he teach us?" Wakka asked hopefully.

Geni laughed. "I'll ask him." She turned towards her biological parents. "Thanks for taking me in on such short notice," she said as she gave them each a quick hug.

"Of course," Mrs. Akeno said. "We'll see you soon. Say hello to the king and queen for us!"

"I will," she promised. Kairi and Sora then came forward to give her large hugs.

"We'll miss you," Kairi said wistfully.

"I'll make sure to come next time, as long as school doesn't have anything to do with it," Sora admitted.

"It's a deal," Geni chuckled. And finally, she turned to Riku. She looked up at him quietly, unsure of what to say. The night before had changed so much between them.

"Keep in touch, okay?" Riku asked her.

"I will," she promised. Shyly, she came forward and she and Riku embraced tightly. As they slowly broke apart, their hands slid down each other's arms until they fell to their respective sides. The rest of the gathering looked on in fond remembrance and wishful thinking, the adults and couples to the earlier and the singles to the latter. Breathing deeply, she turned and waved to everyone as she headed towards the gangplank where Donald was waiting for her.

"See you all soon!" she called back to them.

"Drive safely Donald!" Sora yelled back at him.

Donald snorted. "And when haven't I ever?" he said playfully. "I will! We'll be seeing you all again soon enough!" he called as the gangplank was slowly raised and the door closed on the two waving forms. However, in seconds both of them were at the forward windows. Geni waved furiously towards the people she loved so much as the rockets ignited and the gummi ship hovered above the rooftops.

Sora ran out in front of the small crowd. "Goodbye Geni! Come back soon!" He could see her shouting something back to him, but at that moment the gummi ship took off and sped out into the big, blue sky. However, he knew what she had said, or at least felt it through their special connection in their hearts; it had grown stronger and stronger ever since they had first learned about it when Sora had rescued her from the darkness in Hollow Bastion earlier that year. He smiled, watching the little dot until it disappeared.

_Take care of Riku, Sora._


	7. Old Friends

Chapter 6

Less than an hour later, the gummi ship arrived at Disney Castle and Geni was overcome with questions and attention about her stay on the islands. She worked her way through the crowd as best she could, finally reaching King Mickey and Queen Minnie, to whom she gave very tight hugs.

"I've missed you both so much," she admitted openly to them.

"And we you," King Mickey replied with a smile.

"How was your stay?" Queen Minnie asked. "I see you've gotten quite tan from being outside so much."

Geni smiled, looking down at her browned skin. "Well, there isn't much to do besides be outside all day," she laughed.

"Well, right now you should get unpacked. We'll be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for our trip," Queen Minnie advised her.

Geni nodded. "I'll go unpack and then pack right now."

"That's fine. Dinner is at five o'clock tonight, and we have guests from the Ronin Realm here with us this week."

"Seiji is here?! Why didn't you tell me!" she said with a broad smile.

"We wanted it to be a surprise," a young man's voice called from behind her. Turning around, she saw five young men and a black and white tiger standing near the doorway to the central garden.

"White Blaze!" Geni cried with delight. The tiger roared happily, and then leapt towards her. They met in a flurry of hugs and wet licks.

"Yo, White Blaze, go easy on her," the young man with black hair warned him casually.

"Oh, Ryo, don't be that way," his friend with blue hair said to him. "She's fine now, remember? Their majesties told us about it when we got here."

"Speaking of which, congratulations to you mate," said the youngest of the five with his Australian accent.

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the talk. When's lunch?" the burly one asked.

"Shu, we just ate!" the blond moaned. As he said this, Geni disentangled herself from White Blaze and the two of them walked over to her other world friends.

"Hi guys!"

"Hi yourself squirt, how are you doing?" Ryo asked her as he ruffled her spikes.

"Don't call me that!" Geni fumed. (As known from the first story, only Riku is allowed to call her any names. The one he does choose to use is "shorty.")

"Yeah. You've grown a couple of inches since the last time we saw you, I believe," Shin complimented her.

"Thank you! At least, I think I have."

"We've also heard that you've figured out part of your past as well," Seiji said. "So, you have a twin brother. I take it that's were you came from just now, where he lives?"

Geni nodded. "He lives on Destiny Islands."

"The islands? Maybe we'll have to take a short vacation before heading back to Japan, you guys," Shu and Touma said excitedly.

Seiji groaned. "No more vacations for me. Do you remember the last time I went on a vacation? I had an evil doctor control my armor and destroy half of New York City!"

"Ahem," someone coughed politely. The six humans looked down to see Queen Minnie and King Mickey standing there, polite smiles on their faces from seeing their foster daughter in such a good mood. King Mickey was just bringing his hand down from his mouth. "Excuse me, but could you all pardon us? We need to get to the audience chamber."

"Oops! Sorry! Excuse us. Didn't see you down there," were all called out sheepishly as they moved out of the way so the small monarchs could get through. Once King Mickey and Queen Minnie passed, the six of them continued their conversation as they walked into the palace. They had the general consensus of heading towards the main stairways as the caught up with each other. Geni was glad to hear that Arago had finally been destroyed, and the worlds of the living and the dead were now at peace with one another.

As they came to the base of the stairways, the group paused. "Well, I have to go unpack and then pack again," Geni told them. "I'll be done soon though."

"Fine with us," Seiji told her.

"I'm heading off to the Grand Library for a while," Touma said as he walked away with a wave.

"And I'm heading for the kitchen!" Shu called as he quickly ran off.

"White Blaze and I are going to head outside and run around for a little," Ryo said as White Blaze purred under Geni's hand. She was currently scratching behind his ears, one of his favorite spots.

"I guess that leaves you and me," Seiji said with a smile.

"Well, I guess I'll see everyone else at dinner then," Geni said a little sadly. White Blaze trotted over by Ryo and the two of them walked back the way they had come. "I guess I'll go unpack."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all!" Geni said, brightening. The two of them walked up to the third floor and her room. Geni and Seiji had been friends ever since they meet when Geni was little. Even though Seiji was six years older than she was, they got along almost as well as she and Sora did. Walking into her common room, Geni noticed that someone had put fresh flowers in a vase for her. She went over to give them a sniff; they were purple, her favorite color. Even though they looked like roses, they smelled like lilac bushes.

"Glad to be home?" Seiji asked her as he sat down on a plush chair.

"Of course," Geni said as she straightened up and walked into her own room. She called back, "So what have you five been up to lately?"

"Oh, the usual. College exams finished a few weeks ago and King Mickey summoned us here to check up on the residual darkness left over from Arago."

"How are your medical studies coming?" she called.

"Good. Just one more semester until I begin my residency."

"That's great!" Geni called. Moments later, she came out of her room. "Well, I'm done unpacking. I'll repack after dinner." She sat down on a small sofa facing Seiji.

"So enough about me. What's been going on with you lately?" Seiji asked.

"Not much. I've been living at Sora's house on the Destiny Islands for the past few weeks, getting to know the place and the people. I'll be starting public school for the first time ever when I go back."

"What kind of people did you get to know?"

"Oh, just some of Sora's...friends..." she said.

"And they guy?"

"What guy?"

"The one you like."

"There's no guy – who did you hear that from?"

"King Mickey."

"But I haven't told him yet! Only Queen –!" and that was when she realized she had slipped.

"So there _is_ a guy," Seiji smirked, his violet eyes staring expectantly.

"So what if there is?" she snapped back, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Does that mean you don't have a crush on Shin anymore?"

Geni's face began to turn red, and she felt herself heating up quickly, so she turned away from him. "Only when I was little," she admitted quietly. "But you already knew that."

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to hold it over you at times." He watched her carefully. "So what's he like?"

She turned and looked at him, sighing momentarily. "His name is Riku. I met him about a year ago while I was in the Organization. He has silver hair and aquamarine eyes." He noticed her face soften as she spoke about him, her eyes sparkling. She continued on to say how he had saved her several times already, all the while fingering a shell pendant sitting on her neck.

He interrupted her for a moment. "Did he give you that?"

"Yeah. Last...night," she said quietly, reminiscing.

"Do you like him?" Seiji asked her after a minute.

"Yes...no…just a little...I mean..." she stumbled quietly.

"Does he like you back?"

"Yes," she said immediately.

"How do you know?" But to this question, she was silent, fingering the almost invisible pattern of waves on her skirt. "So he's told you, but you haven't told him yet?"

She nodded to him. They sat there quietly for a few minutes until Geni broke the silence. "Yesterday was exactly one year since we had met. He gave me the necklace as a gift, and then he told me that he loved me." She again was silent. "But I couldn't tell him back. I mean, I do like him...maybe even more, but I couldn't form the words. He said he wasn't angry or hurt...but I had wanted to tell him so badly. I still don't understand why I couldn't." She turned her face away from him.

Seiji felt sorry for her – even though he had never been in that kind of situation, one of his four best friends, Ryo, had. Standing up, he walked over and sat next to her on the sofa. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Geni turned towards him. "Why couldn't I tell him?" she whispered to him. "Why couldn't I tell him Seiji?"

"Only you can answer that," he told her. "But once you figure out why, then you can." Seiji had grown a little more sensitive after being around Jun for so long; the little boy had softened the warrior's hardened heart inside of him after he had saved him by throwing himself in front of one of the Dark Warlord's attacks.

"But what if I never know?" she suddenly asked him.

"You will, someday. Now cheer up; otherwise I'll make sure that Shu sits next to you at dinner instead of Touma. Then it would only be a one-sided eating contest with the loser going hungry."

At this Geni sounded out something like a snort crossed with a choked laugh. "I suppose you're right, as always."

"Of course," he replied coolly. "Now, shall we get going?"

The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, with a talkative dinner and avid discussions among the residents and visitors. Geni was delighted afterwards when Ryo and King Mickey said it was okay to go for a ride on White Blaze outside of the castle for a while. While they were waiting for the main gates to open, Geni jumped onto White Blazes back. She tangled her fingers into his thick coat, and at the loud _clang_ that let them know the gate was fully open, he sprang out into the twilight. Geni laughed as she crouched down onto his back as he went full gallop across the fields. Considering White Blaze was a fully grown Siberian tiger, he could go quite fast when he wanted to. In no time at all they had reached the shores of the bay that led into the ocean behind the castle. White Blaze let out a loud roar, jumping into and out of the waves crashing upon the beach.

He continued to run down the beach and out towards the lower point; it was a sandy stretch of beach that ran along the sheer cliffs that surrounded the bay. As they came around the rocks, the sun was just about to set over the horizon. White Blaze slowed down to a trot, and Geni expertly jumped off of his back and landed in the wet sand to walk alongside of him. One of her hands reflexively scratched his head as they walked along. Seeing as there was no one around them, she decided to openly talk to White Blaze. "You know, this might be the last time I get to visit this place for a while," she admitted to him sadly.

White Blaze turned his head and cocked his ear at her questioningly.

"Well, Queen Minnie and I are going on that 'trip' starting tomorrow and depending on what happens, I might not be able to come and visit as much as I want to anymore. And that dream I had this morning…" Here she trailed off, deep in thought. As she did, her fingers lay still atop White Blaze's head. He growled at her to remind her of her inattention to him. Geni laughed as she resumed the scratching. "My apologies. I guess I'm worrying over nothing. Thanks for listening though." She bent down and gave White Blaze a large hug around his neck, or as much as her stretched out arms could grasp. He purred deep in the back of his throat and nuzzled her head with his large nose, his own way of reassuring her.

The two of them watched the sun set, and as the last rays were drowned by the endless expanse of water in front of them they finally headed back towards the castle. Geni walked alongside White Blaze for a time, watching the stars that blinked into life one by one. As she did, her eyes began to grow heavy until she stumbled into White Blaze. "Sorry," she murmured.

White Blaze growled back before bending to lie on the ground. He whisked his tail around impatiently and shook his head a few times.

"Okay, okay, I get the hint," she said to him quietly, chuckling. Geni climbed onto White Blaze's back, settling herself once more on top of him. He rose cautiously, making sure she was staying put, before taking off in a trot towards the castle. Geni watched the fields pass by around them as they made their way back, the scent of the long grass and the wild flowers pushing her over the edge into sleep. With her fingers tangled deeply into White Blaze's mane, she only meant to lay her head down for a few minutes – but ended up drifting off into a peaceful slumber, her worries and anxiety floating away on the breeze.

Ryo, Seiji, Shu, Touma, and Shin were waiting for the two of them to return in the little space left open by the guards of the main gate. Because the main threat of the Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII had abated, security was much more lax than it had been in a long time.

Touma peered into the darkness, his element twinkling high above him. "I don't see them yet. Are you sure we shouldn't go and get them?"

"Relax. She's a big girl, and White Blaze is an even bigger tiger. They can take care of themselves; and if something did happen, we would have felt it by now," Ryo said dismissively.

"She sure has grown up since the last time we saw her," Seiji murmured as he leaned against the gate.

"You're telling me. She's almost like a different person. Did you see how much she talked at dinner? I haven't heard her mutter more than a few sentences at one time before now," Shu exclaimed. He was quiet for a moment, before continuing. "Do you think it has anything to do with her brother?"

"Or her boyfriend?" Seiji added.

"Boyfriend?!" several voices shouted in surprise.

"Are you serious?" Shin said, smiling. "Well, good for her. Although he had better treat her right, mate, unless he wants to deal with us."

"From what she told me, it sounds like that won't be a problem." Seiji looked up from his musings. "Speaking of which, here they come." In the distance a large black shadow was making its way towards them. Once it came into the light of the torches hanging on the walls, they could see it was White Blaze padding gently with Geni sleeping soundly on his back.

"Poor thing," Shin murmured as White Blaze came up beside them.

"I guess all that worrying finally caught up with her," Seiji said quietly.

"Over what?" Ryo asked him.

"Adjusting," he said. The others nodded in agreement; they had first felt that when they weren't required to fight all of the time after they had defeated Arago. Considering their new enemy now was their daily lifestyle of college, it seemed at times that quantum physics was harder to defeat than Arago ever was. "Shu?" Seiji asked gently.

"Gotcha." The warrior of Hard Rock stepped over to White Blaze and gently lifted the girl up and backwards, her fingers unclenching from his fur, until he could pick her up bridal style. Her head lolled into the crook of his arm as she settled into his grip. White Blaze growled softly before shaking himself a little.

"Thanks buddy," Ryo told him as he came up and scratched his nose.

"Well, shall we then?" Touma said. The six humans and tiger walked in through the castle gates as they closed behind them. Walking through the outer courtyard and into the main halls, they encountered little if any staff until they reached their young friend's bedroom where Queen Minnie was waiting just outside of the door.

"Thank you boys," she said quietly as she opened the door. Shu walked in first, and immediately took her to her bedroom. The room was dark, but the light shining in from the common room was more than enough. Gently, he laid her down upon her bed. Seiji came up from behind him with a blanket that Queen Minnie had given to him. As Shu walked out with a wave, Seiji came over and covered up his young charge.

Ever since they had met, all five of them had always looked over her as if she were one of them...a Ronin Warrior in her own right. As he finished covering her, he sat down on the edge of her bed. Murmuring in her sleep, she unconsciously turned towards him and her spikes fell forward onto her face. Seiji gently brushed them out of her eyes. Sighing, he slowly got up and walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind him.

"So what now?" Ryo was asking Queen Minnie as he joined them. They were all sitting in Geni's common room waiting for her answer.

"Well, whatever does happen now will be up to her. Since her heart was restored, so was her physical health, and all the physical and magical capabilities that went along with that. I wouldn't be surprised if she surpassed the king and myself – even Master Yen Sid – in power."

"Whoa," Shu whistled. "That much?"

Queen Minnie nodded. "That is what our trip is for, for the next few weeks, is to test out the full extent of her new capabilities. I wanted to do it before school started, just in case there was anything that may become problematic in the future."

"Like what?" Shin asked, worry creasing his brow.

"Well, that's just it – we don't know."

"No matter what, knowing her, whatever obstacles are thrown into her path she'll overcome them all quite easily," Touma said.

"But what about her family back on the islands? I'm sure that whatever destiny has in store for her it won't be spending the rest of her days in isolation and boredom cut off from the rest of the universe," Seiji murmured.

"I believe that is far from the case," Queen Minnie said slowly. "Her brother, Sora, and their two friends Kairi and Riku are all masters of the Keyblade. Even with the danger of Organization XIII gone, there are still Heartless and Nobodies roaming some of the worlds. It has always been our duty to protect all worlds from that darkness, but it seems that another world has been sending representatives to other worlds in secret to quell any uprisings of the darkness."

"Really?" Seiji said, perking up. "That's the first I've heard of this. Which world?"

"That's just it – we don't know," King Mickey supplied. The five humans stood up in respect as the little mouse king entered. "Relax, my friends. No formalities are needed here. Please sit back down." King Mickey walked over and sat down next to Queen Minnie as the Ronin's sat back down. "Now, as far as these representatives go, none of my subjects who have been sent to the other worlds have ever seen them. They must be using the same rule as I apply to all of my subjects: unless the world has had regular contact with outsiders before, they are to be incognito and blend in with that world's inhabitants."

"So, whoever they are, they want to remain invisible even to their allies," Touma said, thinking aloud.

"Exactly. However...there is still one thing troubling me. It seems that besides myself, Sora, Riku, and Kairi, all of these representatives can use the Keyblade as well."

"Are you serious?" Shu stuttered. "But I thought that the Keyblade..."

"Went out of use after the great Keyblade War? So had we, until the day I destroyed my first Heartless with mine own. And now that those three have their own, and those people from that unknown world do as well, it seems that the Keyblade is returning out of myth and legend and into our own current time. For that same reason I have been scouring the library not only here but on other worlds' as well to find a certain legend that was written after the end of the Keyblade War."

"You mean the one that refers to the Keyblade's of light and darkness, of life and death?" Touma gasped. "I've heard about it, but I never thought it was real."

"Quite real, in fact. I actually saw the scroll myself once, long ago," Queen Minnie added. "It had been at the castle in Hollow Bastion long before the rule of Ansem the Wise, but it disappeared shortly before he came into power."

"So it's real, but no one knows where it is," King Mickey concluded. "And that is why we've been searching desperately for it ever since the end of the Organization a few months ago. That legend is the key to finding out who those secretive Keyblade wielders' are, what world they are coming from, and to see if our friends in the Destiny Islands have anything to do with it."

"Do you think that the legend refers to the light and dark as Sora and Riku?" Ryo asked the king.

"As I said before, I don't know. And if there is a Keyblade or Keyblades that can still bring about the destruction of all the worlds, it or they _must_ be destroyed. That kind of darkness, the kind that brought about the Keyblade War, must never be used again." Everyone nodded in consent.

Geni cringed at King Mickey's last statement as she listened to the conversation quietly, lying in the darkness of her room. A slit of light came through from under the door, and she could see figures moving about as they finished conversing and left her chambers. Seeing the light from under her door disappear, and the footsteps in the common room cease, Geni sighed and rolled over onto her other side and looked out the window. The innumerable stars blinked away in the heavens, oblivious.

_What will you do when you find the creator of that darkness, King Mickey?_ she thought to herself. _What if that person is guilty of a crime they unknowingly committed? Or what about if they knew about it and could not stop it?_

_Knock knock_. The door opened with a slight creak. "Geni? Are you awake dear?" Queen Minnie asked softly.

"Yes," she called back quietly. Queen Minnie came in and closed the door behind her. Walking over to her, she jumped up and sat on the bed next to her foster daughter. Geni stayed lying down, staring out the window.

"I take it you heard?"

"It was a little hard not to, with Shu standing next to the door."

"So...?" she asked her.

"I take it he doesn't know anything yet."

Queen Minnie shook her head in the darkness. "Not yet. It will still be one month before he'll 'find' it. And then what will you do?"

"Tell the truth, I suppose. I owe that much to all of them. I've kept enough secrets from everyone for long enough. I just hope that when I do tell them, they won't hate me for it."

"They won't hate you," Queen Minnie assured her. She placed her hand on Geni's shin reassuringly. "I'm sure that after our 'trip,' everything will go back to normal for everyone."

"I hope so," Geni whispered quietly as she bunched up her blanket in her fingers.

"It will," Queen Minnie said firmly. "Now, it's about time you got some sleep. The boys said they would see you off in the morning. Now go to sleep and get some rest – there's no use in worrying about things that you can't change."

"Alright."

"Goodnight Geni, and sweet dreams."

"G'night, Queen...Minnie..." Geni whispered as she slowly fell asleep. Queen Minnie sat there next to her for a few more minutes, listening to her deep and even breathing.


	8. Questions Unasked

Chapter 7

Before everyone knew it, July had flown past and late August had descended upon the islands. With only three days until the beginning of the new school year, parents and students alike rushed around to buy notebooks, pencils, pens, calculators, and mend old uniforms or buy brand new ones. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka were no exception. However, with Geni still being gone, they decided to buy her things for her.

It had actually become lonely for several of them with her absence. Sora felt like a large piece of him was missing, their bond had become so strong. Once in a while he felt some reassurance through their link, confirming her presence somewhere in the universe. Sometimes it was happy, other times sad, and at one time he felt such a strong sense of anger he had punched a hole in the wall of the shack on their little island.

Riku, on the other hand, just plain felt lonely. Now that he had told Geni how he felt about her, even if she had not yet reciprocated those feelings out loud, he knew she cared deeply for him as well. The others tried their best to help him keep his mind off of her absence by keeping him occupied with sparring, getting ready for school, going to the movies, shopping, playing blitzball, and so on. Even so, when the letter finally came that Geni was to be returning the next day, there was excitement all around. The Akeno's decided to prepare a surprise party for her, considering her next return to the castle wouldn't be until Christmas break.

Riku's spirits lifted tremendously, but Sora was having mixed feelings. He was happy Geni was returning, but as he felt her draw nearer he could feel a mix of sadness and apprehension within their link as well. He shrugged it off, assuming it was her feelings that she was going to miss everyone at the castle.

Sora had just placed a tray of cheese and crackers on the table when Kairi raced into the room. His mother and father were in the kitchen decorating a small cake that said 'Welcome Back Geni' on it. "Hey Kairi, what's up?" he asked her.

"The gummi ship just landed on the beach!" she said excitedly. "Hurry up!"

"Geni's back?" Mrs. Akeno called from the kitchen.

"Yeah! We're going to go meet her!" Sora called as he raced Kairi out of their house and down the street. The two of them could see a dust cloud a few blocks ahead of them. Minutes later they raced onto the sand and saw that Riku, Tidus, and Selphie were already there. As they joined them, Wakka came up to stand next to him. When the sandstorm cleared, they could see the gangplank lowering onto the sand below and the hatch opening. Donald was the first off of the ship, waving to his human friends.

"Donald!" Sora shouted, racing over to his long time friend.

"Sora!" he quacked back at him. "How are you all doing?"

"Great!" he replied. Just then Goofy came down the gangplank with Geni's suitcase in hand.

"Ayuck, hey fellers!" he called.

"Hello Goofy!" Kairi said as he came up to stand next to Donald. As the three longtime friends embraced, Kairi noticed that one person was missing. "Odd question, but where's Geni?"

"Here I am!" a voice called. Looking back towards the ship, they saw Geni descending with many wrapped packages in her arms.

"Geni!" several voices cried. Sora ran up to her as she stepped onto the sand and engulfed her in a large hug.

"Hey, don't squish your presents!" she joked.

"Welcome back," Sora said as he let her go. He looked her up and down, checking for any changes in her. Besides losing some of her tan, and looking slightly tired and worn, her large smile hid the fact that her sparkling blue eyes had dulled somewhat.

"What?" she asked him, looking puzzled.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "Still," he said as he pulled her into another large bear hug, "welcome home."

"Glad to be back," she told him. By this time everyone had begun to crowd around her giving her hugs and friendly squeezes. "Hey, watch the gifts! Here guys, these are for you!" She handed packages to Sora, Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka. Riku had hung back, but as soon as the rest of her friends were preoccupied with their own gifts, she walked up to him.

"Riku," she said as she smiled at him, before quickly embracing him tightly, almost as if to never let go.

"Welcome back shorty," he said quietly, a little confused by the sudden show of affection, but welcomed nevertheless. "Did you have a good trip?"

"It was...interesting..." she trailed off. "But here! This is for you." She handed him a small box. "Open it."

"Pushy much?" he chuckled. But he took the box from her and tore open the brown paper. Inside was a plain white box. Taking off the lid, he smiled at her. "You didn't have to get me anything," he said softly. "But what is it?" A flat circular disc that reflected rainbows as the sun shone down upon it lay peacefully atop some tissue paper.

"Of course I did, silly," she replied. "Besides, I don't think anyone else deserved this as much as you did. It's a memory disc; specifically of the time we've spent together." She tried masking the additional tenderness laced into her voice, hoping Riku didn't hear it.

"It's wonderful – thank you," he said to her. Hearing shouts coming from their other friends, the two of them turned and saw the delight radiating from the others. Geni had given gifts that she knew all of them would like; hand-made jewelry she had charmed for Kairi and Selphie, and for Sora, Tidus, and Wakka she had given them each a new practice sword that would never break while any of them sparred. Riku received one as well, besides the memory disc. Once they were done exclaiming over each other's gifts, their thoughtfulness returned and all five of them ran up to envelop her in hugs.

"Thank you! These are awesome! I'll beat you now brother!" were several of the compliments given to her as she tried to right herself under her friends weight.

Donald and Goofy chuckled at the scene before them. "Well, you ready Donald?" Goofy asked him.

"Yeah. If we're going to get to the Treasure Realm in time to meet up with King Mickey we'll have to hurry." The two nodded to each other and walked over to their friends. "Well, it was nice seeing all of you again, but duty calls. Maybe next time we can stay and visit for a while," Donald told them all.

"You have to leave so soon? Why? You just got here," Sora whined.

"Sorry Sora, but we have work to do for King Mickey right away," Goofy replied.

"Heartless?" Riku said, his eyes narrowing.

"Nope. Just looking for an old scroll."

"Well, that doesn't seem too hard," Kairi replied.

"It is considering we've been looking for it for several months already," Donald grumbled impatiently. "Anyway, we'll be back before you know it."

"Thanks for the ride you two," Geni said, coming to the forefront of the group to hug her two friends' goodbye.

"Anytime. Have fun in school!" Goofy called as the two of them turned around and headed back into the gummi ship. They waved goodbye from the cockpit as the rockets fired and lifted them back into the sky leaving the seven teens alone on the beach.

"Well, let's get going! I'm getting hungry!" Wakka exclaimed.

"But didn't you guys just finish lunch?" Geni asked, confused.

"No, we waited for you. Mrs. Akeno is making pizza for all of us at your house," Kairi told her.

"Sounds good to me!" Sora said happily. "Let's go!" They laughed at him as he took off down the beach, waving behind him. The rest followed him at a more leisurely pace, but within minutes they were stepping through the front door.

"I'm back!" Geni called as she stepped into the front hall.

"Welcome back!" her two biological parents called. "We're in the kitchen!" her mother added. Geni could smell the pizza, but also a few other smells as well. Walking into the kitchen, she gasped in surprise as she saw all of the food and a few balloons as well.

"Welcome back!" they all shouted to her. Geni smiled, but a few tears leaked from her eyes.

"You guys," she whispered.

"We all missed you bunches," Selphie said to her.

"Yeah, and Sora was even quieter without you around; it was strange to listen to silence for once," Mr. Akeno joked.

"Yeah, yeah, we all missed you," Wakka said. "Now let's eat!"

"Wakka, do you ever think about anything besides food?" Selphie grumbled at him.

"Nope!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about what had transpired on the islands and during Geni's trip. She told them of all of the ways that Master Yen Sid and she had examined her powers, and even finding that she _could_ do things she couldn't do before, of course. Her magical capabilities had increased overall as well as her physical stamina and energy, so she could now perform even more complex spells and their affectability would last even longer. The others informed her of what had and for the most part had not transpired on the islands, and the moans and groans when school was referenced – considering it began in two days.

"Really? I didn't realize it was that close when we decided on when to come back," Geni said as she bit down on a cookie loaded with frosting.

"Yeah. But mom and I already bought all of the supplies you'll need, and got you a uniform. So basically everything is already done," Sora supplied.

"Well, that's good." Geni suddenly began to yawn, and tried to cover it with a bite into her cookie. However, Mrs. Akeno saw that and decided to intervene.

"Jet – I mean gummi – lag, dear?" she asked her daughter. Geni smiled, and nodded a little. "Well, I would suggest that rest is the best thing. We don't want you sleeping through your classes on Monday! Now, upstairs for a nap, you."

"Yes ma'am," Geni said as she stood up. "Well, I guess I'll see all of you later," she told her friends sitting around her. They had taken over the Akeno's living room and had eaten most of the food by then; well, Wakka and Sora had eaten most of the food by then.

"Alright. But don't forget we're going to the movies tonight, and tomorrow is our last day of freedom for nine months," Selphie reminded her.

"What movie?" Geni called back as she headed for the stairs.

"Probably 'Tekkonkinkreet' – that's the new movie with those two boys that can fly who protect their city from alien mobsters," Tidus said energetically.

"Sounds…interesting," Geni laughed. "Alright, we'll I'll make sure to be up in time then. See you all later and thanks for the warm welcome back!" she said with a smile as she disappeared up the stairs. As she rounded the top of the stairs, however, the smile disappeared from her face as if one had never existed there. Her entire demeanor sagged, although she used some of her magic to make sure that Sora only felt exhaustion from her. She slowly walked to her room at the end of the hall and closed the door gently behind her as she leaned up against it. Unable to stand any longer, she slid down the door and into a bodily puddle, leaning up against it with her knees tucked up under her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs, and her face buried into her kneecaps.

Downstairs, the party continued until almost all of the food was gone, and Mrs. Akeno finally had to shoo Wakka home before he ate her out of house and home. The rest of his friends trickled out with the intention of gathering later, until Sora and his family were the only ones left to clean up empty dishes. As Mr. and Mrs. Akeno were washing the dishes, Sora brought in the empty cans of soda and bottles of water and stuffed them into a large plastic bag. "Man, I'm surprised Tidus didn't flood our bathroom with all the liquid he ingested," Sora exclaimed to his parents.

"He probably will at home, his poor mother," Mrs. Akeno laughed as she handed a soapy plate to her husband. "And poor Geni looked just exhausted; I don't know if she will be up to a movie so soon, Sora."

"Well, if she wakes up in time, fine. The movie doesn't start until eight o'clock anyway, and that's still a few hours away. She could be up by then."

"I wouldn't count on it," his father said as he placed the now dry plate into a cabinet. "Besides, you all still have tomorrow to have fun. It is the last day of summer vacation after all."

"Don't remind me," groaned Sora. "The only thing I didn't miss on my journey was going to school."

"Speaking of which, the mail is on the table," his mother said, pointing with a bubble covered finger in his direction.

"The entrance exam scores finally came? It took long enough!" Sora dashed over to the table and sorted through the various letters, bills, and magazines until he found two identical letters with his school's emblem on them: one for him and one for Geni. Tearing into his own, he quickly read the tiny print.

"Well, what does it say?" his father asked him.

Sora sighed in relief. "Well, I passed in English and Literature, but I'm slightly behind in Math and Science. Well, that I already knew," he commented sourly. "They're putting me in with the freshmen until I catch up, and then placing me with Kairi and Riku in the sophomore classes once I do." He paused, eying the other letter. "Do you think Geni would mind if I opened hers?"

"_Yes,_ she would," his mother said insistently. "You can see later when she wakes up and opens it herself."

"Okay, okay," Sora said, backing off from the table with his letter in hand. "Are we finished?"

"Yes, go ahead," his father said to him. Sora dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs and into his room. He placed the letter down onto his desk and rummaged through his drawers for money for the movie and snacks later that night. While searching, he came upon an old photograph of himself, Riku, and Kairi that was taken not too long before their world had been consumed by the darkness. Staring at it, he could see Riku wearing his normal smirk as Sora spouted off about something, Kairi quietly intervening between the two of them with a large smile on her face. Sora smiled at the picture, thinking about how much the three of them had changed, for better and for worse, over the past year and a half.

Looking up, he searched his room until he found what he was looking for. He took out a picture of some blitzball player he couldn't even remember the name of and carefully placed the picture behind the glass, cleaning the front of it with his shirt. Smiling, he placed it on his nightstand next to his bed. For the next half an hour or so, Sora actually decided to clean part of his messy room so he wouldn't have to do it tomorrow, and so that on Monday when school started he would actually be able to find his books and uniform and get to class on time for once. As he packed the last of his pens and pencils in his backpack, he noticed it was close to six.

Walking quietly up to her door at the end of the hall, Sora knocked quietly. Hearing no answer from Geni, he cautiously opened the door without it squeaking too much and looked in. Geni was lying on her bed, facing away from him, and covered up in a large blanket. She was snoring quietly, the blanket moving up and down with each deep breath. Sora walked in softly and called her name, to see if she would wake up.

"Geni? Geeennniiii?" he called out as he leaned over her. More snoring was his reply. Sora poked her in a few places where he could see the outline of her arm, and even though she wriggled in her sleep and frowned, she continued sleeping in pure ignorance of Sora's attempts to wake her. Sora sighed and walked back out of her room, closing the door quietly behind him. "Well, I guess dad was right; if she's that out cold, she isn't going tonight. Oh well, there's still tomorrow." He sighed and walked back into his room.

Sora turned out to be right. Geni slept all the way through dinner and didn't get up until nine, when Sora and everyone else was enjoying the movie and throwing popcorn at each other. She didn't mind, of course; alien mobsters weren't quite her thing. However, she did get a chance to look at her new uniform and open her exam letter while they were gone. Her uniform was the same as Kairi's and Selphie's; it was a plaid skirt with a white dress shirt and tie, with long knee socks and black shoes. She tried it on, and it fit just right. Looking at herself in the mirror, she could only wonder at what an adventure public school was going to be. Also, upon opening her letter, she found that she had passed all of the tests with flying colors, earning perfect scores in each subject. This also meant that she could join the sophomore class with her family and friends, making the adjustment from home schooling to public schooling even easier for her. As she waited for her friends to return, she also packed and prepared for her first day of school. While it did not take her as long as Sora did to pack, she was done with plenty of time to spare before the others came home.

Grabbing one of her books, she tried going and sitting out on the swinging porch seat for a while to read and watch the storm that was coming in over the ocean. It was not a hurricane or tropical storm, but just a tiny thing that would pour itself out quickly and move on towards the mainland as plain old clouds. As Geni observed the lightning strikes in the distance, soon echoed by low rumbling of thunder, she thought about her trip with Queen Minnie and how…_eventful_…it had been. However, upon pondering it, she had to close her book and squeeze her eyes shut so she did not allow the tears that were threatening to fall come before the rain could hide them.

_How am I going to tell them all? How am I going to tell Riku, of all people? Everything has changed now, even though this place and everyone here has stayed the same_, she thought to herself. _By next weekend, everything will have changed yet again – but for better or for worse?_ She stared blankly into the distance.

A short while later, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka were exiting the small theater and exclaiming over the movie. "That was so awesome!" Tidus said as he jabbed at imaginary aliens. "I so want to learn how to fly now!"

"Maybe we could borrow some pixie dust from Tinkerbell," Sora whispered to Riku.

"I don't think that would be a wise idea," Riku whispered back. "Tidus has enough happy thoughts to stay aloft for at least ten years continually." Tidus further emphasized this point by racing around the sidewalk like a superhero of some kind.

"Yeah, well, I'd rather learn to breathe underwater than fly any day, brother," Wakka replied. "I would be the only blitzball player who could play permanently without having to surface for air every few minutes, ya," he said smugly.

"Well, you already have the all school record anyway," Kairi called from behind them. She had been walking with Selphie and discussing who their teachers might be for the upcoming semester. "But if Tidus does keep practicing he'll probably beat it quite soon anyway."

"Yeah! When does practice start this year anyway?" Selphie chimed in.

"Two weeks from Monday. Also, I've heard we're getting a new coach this year; he's supposed to be really good too. Some people said he used to play for the pro's, ya." Wakka thumped his chest. "That'll be me in three years; all the rep's from the teams will be coming to scout me even before I'm a senior!" he boasted.

The rest of the group rolled their eyes. Wakka had wanted to play for a major blitzball team ever since he was in elementary school. And he did practice everyday for it; that was why he was the best player on the islands. However, as Kairi had said, Tidus was quickly catching up with him. As they chatted about the upcoming year, the group quickly made their way home in the darkened streets. The group slowly dwindled as each came to their respective homes and bade each other good night and the promise for one last day of fun. Soon only Kairi, Sora, and Riku were left. As they began to head up the street, Sora noticed that there was someone sitting out on his front porch. Peering through the darkness, he saw a head of familiar brown spikes rocking gently on the swing.

"Hey, Geni's up!" he exclaimed suddenly. Kairi and Riku immediately looked towards his house to confirm this as Sora went running on ahead. Riku smiled to himself, his pace quickening slightly.

"Geni!" Said person had moments to look up before she was barreled into by Sora.

"Sora! How was the movie?" she asked him as she laughed, gently pushing him off of her and checking her book for any damage.

"It was amazing! You'll have to go and see it sometime." Sora began talking animatedly about the movie as he planted himself down next to her. In a minute Kairi and Riku walked up the path and joined them on the Akeno's front porch.

"Thanks for waiting for us Sora," Riku said, slightly sarcastically.

"He he, sorry," he said with a smile.

"Feel any better now?" Kairi asked Geni as she sat down in a chair next to the swing, Riku sitting on her opposite side on one next to Sora.

"A little," she said. "It sounds like the movie was wonderful."

"It was…different," Kairi responded with a laugh.

"The animation was well done," Riku added. He noticed the book sitting on her lap. "What were you reading?"

"Oh, just a book from the castle." She handed it to him to look at. Riku looked at the older volume, noting the embossed title on its spine: _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen. "You might not have read this one; the world it was written on was in a time period known as Victorian England when it was first written."

"No, I haven't," Riku said as he thumbed through the pages. "It does look quite interesting though – I may have to borrow it from you when you're finished with it, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Geni said, smiling.

"What's it about?" Sora asked as he peered over Riku's shoulder.

"It's about a woman and a man coming to love each other, even though they are on two completely different social classes, and everyone around them is trying to separate them."

"Social classes?" Sora asked, obviously confused. "Is that something you have to take in school there?"

"No; it means…" Geni thought quietly for a moment before her face lit up. "One of them was very rich, while the other was extremely poor. Because of their economic standing, the two of them were never supposed to interact with each other on a social scale, but only from master to servant or employer to employee, for example."

"Oh! I get it now! That's really sad, when you put it that way," he sighed.

"But that is what is wonderful. The two of them overcome all of the obstacles to be with each other in the end," Geni replied. "Of course it will be a happy ending, but the whole point of the book is how they got there, the journey itself."

"How romantic," Kairi breathed.

"It's quite a classic back on its home world – I believe they have even made several movies about it."

"I think I would rather see the movie," Sora said as he eyed the numerous pages between the front and back covers and the tiny print amidst them. Riku smiled at his best friend while handing the book back to Geni.

"Well," Kairi said, yawning quite loudly, "I think I'll be heading home you guys. We're still meeting on the island tomorrow morning, aren't we?"

"Yes, for the last day of summer vacation," Sora groaned.

"Oh Sora. School isn't that bad – honest."

"Oh, that's right!" Sora looked at his sister. "You got a letter from school today about the entrance exams. What did you get on them?"

Geni blushed slightly, and looked away from them. "I passed," she said, giving a simple and direct explanation.

"But what did you get on them?" Sora prodded.

"I did quite well," she said as she stood up. "Goodnight everyone – see you in the morning." And with that she went into the house without another word. The three of them watched her disappear behind the door, confused looks on their faces.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sora asked his friends. He looked over and saw Riku still staring at the front door, a frown upon his face. "Riku?"

"Hmm? What?" Riku asked, turning to face him.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"You mean just now?" Riku asked him. Sora nodded. "No, but I know that Geni doesn't like to boast about anything. The case is probably that she did quite well, and doesn't want you to feel inferior or cause anyone to think she's conceited."

"Oh," Sora said. He was silent for a moment. "Do you think that she thought I would get angry or jealous over some stupid tests?"

"Not just you, but her friends and maybe everyone at school who hasn't gotten a chance to know her yet."

"Riku has always been at the top of the class Sora," Kairi said as she went to sit next to him. She patted his arm. "So everyone expects him to always do well on everything. However, Geni is new and besides us, Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka, no one else at school knows her or a lot about her. We know she is smart and talented, but some other people might take that for superiority and arrogance." Kairi sighed. "I think it's going to be a little rough, considering she's your sister and the circumstances involving her arrival here, so all of us need to support her. Okay?" she finished with a smile.

"Yeah," Sora said. "Good thing we're all in the same grade with most of the same classes. I hope our schedules will keep at least one of us in all of her classes."

"I'm sure it will," Kairi said definitively. "Now, I _really_ have to be getting home before mom and dad start to worry that I've been kidnapped again."

"That's why we're here," Sora grinned. "Night Kairi."

"See you tomorrow Kairi," Riku added.

"Bye guys," Kairi called as she walked down the front steps and down the road. The two boys were silent as they pondered on their friend's words.

"Hey, Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you notice anything…peculiar about Geni?"

"You mean today or in general?"

"Lately, I suppose." Riku paused, looking around. "Does she seem any different to you?"

Sora furrowed his brow in thought. "Well, while she was away I sometimes got this feeling of her being really sad or angry, and especially gloomy when I could feel her getting closer to the islands. I think she was just sad she wasn't going to be at the castle for a long while, and that she was just tired from the long trip. Why do you ask?"

"All day she's seemed…a little off, I guess is a good way to put it. Besides being tired, I mean. The gift she gave me, how she spoke when she gave it to me, and her actions just now. Is it just me, or does she seem to be distancing herself from us?"

"Distancing?" Sora thought about it for a moment. "You know what? I think you're on to something. It kind of bugged me when she left, but it didn't really connect to anything until now. The morning after our party, I really had to go and so I wandered back towards the bushes. I saw Geni leaning out over the small pond with the waterfall, and I thought that maybe she was just washing up at first. But as I was about to say something, I saw her swat the water with her hand and mumble something. She looked angry. And when she left too; she called out to me to look after you while she was gone. None of it really made any sense until now. Do you think there's something going on that she's not telling us about?"

Now it was Riku's turn to look thoughtful. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he intertwined his fingers to allow his chin to rest on them. "I don't know Sora. If there _was_ something big going on, I know she would have told us by now."

"Riku!" The two boys turned to see Mrs. Tamohara standing on her front step next door. "Riku! Time to come home!"

"Alright mom! Just a minute!" he called back.

"Goodnight Sora!" she called just before disappearing.

"I guess I have to go now," Riku said as he stood up. "Why don't you see if you can ask her about it tonight. My guess is, though, that because she hasn't told us anything that nothing major is going on, and that it's probably only pre-school jitters."

"You're probably right," Sora said, standing up with a stretch. "I'll see what I can get her to tell me, including her scores on the entrance exams," he said with a grin.

"Be careful," Riku warning mockingly. "I think her aim has improved since last time, or was that a new shoe rack she was going to hang on your head?"

Sora grew bright red. "Ha ha, very funny. See you tomorrow Riku."

"Bye Sora," he waved as he headed next door. Sora himself headed inside of his own house, closing the door gently behind him. It was already eleven, and his entire family was upstairs preparing for bed; the downstairs was completely dark. He made his way up the stairs and paused at his parent's room to bid them goodnight before heading towards his own room. He paused at the door to his own room, seeing that even though Geni's door was closed a light was still shining from underneath it. He quickly went in and changed out of his clothes and into some pajamas, then proceeding to go into the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth. As he was flossing, he heard the telltale _plip plop _of rain upon the roof, slowly at first but gaining speed until he knew it was literally pouring outside. Once finished, he flipped the switch and the upstairs went dark. The only light was from the cracks around Geni's door, while his parent's door was closed and dark.

Walking softly, he tapped on Geni's door a few times. "Come in," he heard her call softly. Walking into her room, he saw she was in bed with her table lamp on reading her book from before. "Oh, good night Sora. I was just going to read for a little while before going to bed myself."

"Okay," he said. "Um, can I talk to you about something really quick?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Now? Can't it wait until morning?"

"No, it can't," Sora said firmly as he closed her door behind him. Geni was surprised by his serious tone but continued reading anyways. Sora looked towards her window as well, and saw that she had already pulled the curtains closed. Every once in a while, a lightning bolt would flash and illuminate part of the room as the rain spattered against the glass. He walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed. "The three of us were talking after you left, and we're worried about you."

"Worried about me? What for?"

"Well, Kairi made us start to think about school and everything, but Riku and I were discussing how you seem to be…distancing yourself from us lately."

"Distancing? Why would I be doing that?" Geni said as she looked at him briefly before returning to her book. _Have I been that obvious?_

"Riku mentioned your behavior and what you said today, and I was thinking back to the morning before you left. Both times, and even while you were gone, I was sensing a tremendous amount of sadness and anger from you. Why? Your trip and even your work under Master Yen Sid couldn't have caused all of that." He narrowed his eyes at her in a very un-Sora like gesture.

"I was just sad that I wasn't going to be at the castle very much from now on, that's all," she replied as her eyes scanned the pages, repeating exactly what Riku had said. Sora sighed, and placed his hand over her book and lowered it.

"Hey! I was reading that!" Geni snapped at him, finally looking directly at him.

"Geni, tell me the truth," he said sternly. His blue eyes had hardened, demanding the truth from her. Sora was starting to feel insecurity and fear through their link. Geni realized this, and then suddenly it was gone, replaced with only tiredness.

"I am," she retorted.

"No, your not." Sora had felt her veil her emotions. _How long has she been doing that, I wonder?_ he thought to himself.

"Ugh! Go to bed Sora." She yanked her book out from under his hands and quickly placed her bookmark on the page she was currently on. She tossed it onto her nightstand and ducked down under the covers and faced away from Sora, all in a matter of seconds. "Good _night_," she said pointedly.

"No, not _yet_," Sora said, grabbing her side to force her to face him. She resisted, clamping down onto her bed and blanket.

"Sora, just leave me alone. I'm tired, and I just want to go to bed!"

"Not until you tell me what's _really_ going on," he demanded. "Since you won't tell me, mom or dad, or Kairi, will you tell Riku?" She froze. "So you don't even want to tell Riku about this? I thought you two cared too much for each other to keep petty secrets."

She flipped around to face him, her eyes as cold as ice. "It's not petty," she snarled as she locked eyes with him. Sora actually jumped back a little; he had never seen her that angry or furious, except for the time she was being controlled by the Organization. Geni realized that she was actually frightening her brother, and quickly turned away from him. _How does he read me so easily? I can't keep anything to myself when he's around!_ "Sorry, it's nothing," she quickly mumbled.

"Nothing? Nothing?! You were about to chew my head off! That isn't _nothing_." He leaned in closer on her bed, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Geni, what's _wrong_? You've never acted this way before. What is so terrible that you can't tell anyone and you distance yourself from everyone because of it?"

"Sora, I…" _Flash! Boom!_ "Ah!" As the lightening struck and illuminated the room, all of the power was suddenly lost during the deafening thunder. At the same time Geni's room was thrown into pitch black darkness, Sora knew something in his sister had finally snapped. Even though he couldn't see her, he could feel her trembling under his hand, and small, choked noises were emitting from her throat.

"Geni?" he whispered quietly.

"I…I can't…I can't tell him…" he heard her whisper.

"Can't tell who what?" he said, crawling further up onto the bed to hear what she was saying. The numerous booms from the thunder and the pounding rain were making it difficult to hear anything spoken in less than normal speaking voices. Suddenly, she whipped around and slammed into Sora's shoulder, sobbing into it. She latched herself onto her brother, holding on for dear life as giant sobs raked her body and the storm roared outside.

Sora was dumbstruck. Why was she crying now, of all times? He had just asked her a simple question…or was it that simple? Either way, he placed his arms around her protectively and squeezed gently. Geni continued to cry into his shoulder, heaving deep breaths when she got the chance. Sora could already feel his t-shirt becoming quite wet, but ignored it. He had to find out what was causing his twin so much pain; it was eating through their link, making Sora feel like he wanted to crawl under a rock and shut himself off from the rest of the world.

"Geni? What happened to you?" he whispered into her ear, more of a rhetorical question than an actual one. "Tell me who did this," he demanded fiercely. "Who made it so you can't tell anyone what's really going on?"

Sora felt her move her head slightly. He lessened his grip, but did not let go. Geni's head came up to look him in the face, the tears streaming down her face in the darkness punctuated by the occasional lightning strike. "I did…it's all my fault," she whispered to him. "It's all my fault that he's going to hate me…"

"Yours? Going to hate you? But why?"

"Because I chose to…"


	9. Fun In The Sun

Chapter 8

"See you in a little bit!" Geni called to Sora as she took off for the docks.

"Alright! Be careful!" her twin called back to her. Geni waved and smiled back at him. Sora smiled brightly back at her, but in his mind he was a little worried she was overdoing her act a bit. Last night...

"Hey Sora! You're actually up pretty early, aren't you?" Kairi teased as she walked up next to him, tote bag full of supplies in hand. Sora was still standing on the beach, waiting for Riku and Kairi to show up. Geni had wanted to go and explore the reefs, so she had taken off before they had gotten there. No surprise, though, that she particularly didn't want to talk to Riku at the moment...

_"What are you talking about?" he asked her. "Geni, you're not making any sense."_

_She sniffed. "I...I can't tell you everything just yet." Sora could hear some of the pain in her voice. "But…I can tell you some things." She gave him a small smile through her tears. "You are my brother, after all."_

"Sora? Earth to Sora." Sora blinked, seeing a large hand being waved in front of his face.

"What?" he said innocently.

"What were you spacing out for?" Riku inquired, peering at him.

"Oh, nothing much. Are you guys ready for our last day of freedom?"

"Sora, it's not boot camp – it's the tenth grade," Kairi sighed. She looked around. "Where's Geni? I thought she came with you."

"She went on ahead already. She wanted to spend the day at the reef, so she said she would meet us there."

"But I've got all the snorkels," Kairi said, confused. Riku and Sora turned to give her a look. "Oh, right. Magic." She giggled a little, before her brows furrowed in thought. "But what kind? I mean, breathing underwater? Does she use a bubble full of air, or give herself gills like a fish?"

"Well, we'll ask her when we get there," Riku finalized. "Let's go." He began to head for the docks and their own canoes. Kairi trotted up behind him, and Sora followed with a thoughtful look on his face.

_"Leaving? When?"_

_"Soon…maybe not for a while. But it will begin whenever King Mickey summons you and Riku."_

_"You're still not making any sense," Sora sighed. They had been talking for a good half an hour. The storm outside was slowly abating, but the power had not come back on yet. Geni had not divulged much about her situation, but what she had told him made him uneasy and depressed._

_"I know, but in the end it's for the best. Sora…" here she paused. Geni gave him a deep, searching, penetrating look. "I want you to make me a promise," she said, grasping his hands. "Well, two actually."_

_"What?"_

_"First, you _cannot_ tell anyone about me leaving. Especially Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and…Riku – especially him."_

_"Okay. But what about the other promise?"_

_"Do you remember what I asked you to do when I left for the castle?"_

_"Yes…is it the same one?"_

_"Mostly. I want Riku to understand why I have to leave…it's a duty that I owe to them and not because I don't want to be with him. Before King Mickey comes for you two, he'll know all that I've told you about the situation."_

_"About why you're leaving the islands permanently? And this mysterious duty you have to whoever you aren't mentioning? You aren't telling _me_ anything," Sora said in a slightly accusatory tone._

_Geni heard the change in his voice. She grasped his hands a little tighter, and gave him a soft smile in the darkness. "You know I would never leave if I had the choice. I love you all much too much to throw it away on some simple matter." She choked on those last words. "Sora, you're my brother. You didn't know I even _existed_ four months ago, yet once you did you set out at once to free me from the Organization. Once you had, you promised me that we would all return to the islands together, which we did. And when Xemnas had taken me, you fought through hordes of Heartless and Nobodies in order to reach me. Even when you and Riku were trapped in the realm of darkness, you found the light within yourselves to open the door to light and return yourselves back to us. Remember this: no matter how far apart we are, and even if we can never see each other again, you'll still be right here with me." She let go of one of his hands and placed it over her heart. "We will always be connected."_

Sora placed his hand over his own heart as he walked towards the docks, unconsciously reaching out in the link the two of them shared. Geni's end suddenly flared, flooding Sora with warming reassurance. He smiled, remembering the end of their midnight conversation.

Less than fifteen minutes later Riku, Sora, and Kairi had docked their canoes and made their way to the other side of the island which faced out onto the coral reefs that bordered their island. The reef itself was two miles long in length, and several miles wide, and ranged from a few feet in places to at least twenty feet down. Because the islands were in the central tropics, the temperature of the water never fell below seventy degrees even in the coldest season. This allowed the water to be crystal clear, slightly tinged with an aqua coloring, even down to the deepest part of the reefs. That's why only basic snorkels were needed, like masks that covered the eyes and nose. You could use a tube for breathing or just hold your breath in the shallower waters.

As they reached the lookout tower where they placed all their gear, one lonely bag was already sitting at the base of the tower with a pair of shorts and a shirt lying on top of it. "Looks like someone has beaten us here," Riku said.

"That's Geni's bag," Sora said. "Looks like she's already out there." He turned around and peered out into the water, looking for signs of splashing. "She should have waited for us."

"Oh Sora, don't worry. She's a big girl – she can take care of herself," Kairi laughed as she unloaded her own bag.

_That's what worries me_, he thought to himself. "I know, but it's my job to do that."

"Well, let's get out there then," Riku said as he shed his extra clothing. Kairi and Sora soon mimicked his actions and the three of them grabbed snorkels and a few bottles of fresh water and headed out into the water. The rock formation that Riku had followed Geni to was the very beginning of the reef, and only about fifty feet away from shore. The sun was shining, there weren't any clouds to be seen, and there weren't any waves. The ocean was a flat mirror reflecting the sunlight merrily.

The three of them made their way out to the rock formation and found that it was empty, indicating Geni was somewhere in the immediate area. Placing the water bottles in the shade of a rock that would last for at least a few hours as the sun moved across the sky, they dove into the crystal clear waters. Fish decorated in all colors of the rainbow swam by them, as well as giant clumps of coral with wavy anemones saying hello to them as they passed. Kairi paused to investigate a giant turtle that was slowly swimming past, and waved at Sora and Riku meaning that she would join them later.

As the two boys swam on, they paused in a shallow area to look at some large clams while being able to stand up and take a breath. "You know," Riku said as he looked around, "I haven't seen Geni yet. I know she's probably alright, but we should probably check in with her."

Sora nodded. "You're probably right. But she could be anywhere – considering I believe she's using magic to stay under."

"Do you think you can find her?"

Sora huffed. "What, am I a bloodhound now?" he said, smiling.

Riku smirked. "Well, it does come in handy when we need your look-alike. But before you do…" Riku lowered his voice. "Did you talk to her? About what we talked about last night?"

"Yeah, I did," Sora replied. He paused a moment. "She really didn't tell me anything besides what the both of us had suspected. With the change in coming to live here, she was nervous about being away from the castle for so long and starting school tomorrow where she doesn't really know anyone besides us."  
Sora hated lying to Riku, but he comforted himself slightly by saying that what he told Riku was the truth – just not all of it.

Riku smiled at him. "Good. I was worried it might have been something else. Maybe I'll talk with her later – to tell you the truth, I'm not big on going back either. Being gone for so long, I don't know how everyone at school is going to react to us suddenly returning out of the blue like this."

"I know what you mean," Sora said quickly, wanting to change the subject. "But, what will we tell them? I mean, were supposed to be keeping the secret of the other worlds, and Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie have agreed to keep secret what we've already told them, but this…" he shrugged "…what will everyone else say? I mean, all of our parents filed missing child reports with the police, thinking we had been kidnapped or run away from home – even though they did retract them once we came back."

"Hmm…that is a problem," Riku said. "I guess we could always tell them we transferred schools and lived on the mainland for a while. But still, that would ask more questions than answer them."

"We were in an accident and were comatose?" Sora suggested playfully.

"I don't quite think that would do it," Riku replied. "Well, we can think about it later. Particularly, I think more questions will be directed towards your sister than us. Speaking of which, let's go find her."

"Alright." Sora closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt a content pulse coming from his left. "She's about one hundred feet to our left."

"Let's go then." Riku and Sora put their diving masks back on and headed in Geni's general direction. Passing more of the native fish and plants, they even saw a few small sharks that paid them no heed as they searched for an easy snack. As they neared the area where Sora could feel Geni, they came upon a large open area in the reef that was quite deep for it. As they swam above it on the surface, Sora didn't see any signs of his sister. He paused to right himself, Riku quickly following suite as they treaded the water.

"Do you see her?" Sora asked him.

"No. I thought you said she was here?"

"I did – and she's down there somewhere." Sora's eyes suddenly went wide as he began to panic. "What if she got caught in the coral, like those arches that you can swim under?"

"Relax, Sora. Geni could just use some magic to pry herself out. But just in case, let's take a look around. I'll keep going on this edge; you look back a little ways."

"Alright." Sora dove back from whence they came, aiming for the walls of coral and plant life that surrounded the large opening. The sandy floor was bare except for a few scattered groupings of seaweed, so Riku dove in down farther so he could see more of the wall he was aiming for. Turning his head to look around, he suddenly noticed a dusty cloud being churned in the water not too far to his right. Panic blossomed in his chest as he thought Sora's fear had been confirmed. He raced over as fast as he could, but when he got there, all he could see was a long green tail sticking out of one of the large holes in the coral wall.

_A fish?_ Riku thought as he floated there, unsure of what to do. _It's probably just after some little fish that hid in there_. But as he watched, the large tail continuing to swish back and forth rapidly, he wasn't as sure about the fish itself. It was much larger than any he had seen before, even bigger than the large marlins his dad went deep sea fishing for sometimes. And besides, this tail had large, shiny green scales and two translucent and curved fins at the bottom of it that ran horizontal to the tail rather than vertical – like a whale or dolphins tail. Most fish he had seen had tails and fins that were solid, angular, and vertical to their bodies. Also, he thought he could see traces of purple running along the spine of the fish.

_Definitely not native, as far as I can tell,_ Riku thought. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Sora giving him a questioning look and pointing at the large, struggling fish. Riku pointed upwards and the two of them took off for the surface. Breaking through to the surface, they heaved in several breaths before Riku spoke. "What _is_ that thing? I've never seen a fish like that around here. And if that's only half of it, it must be more related to a dolphin or shark than a fish."

"I don't know either," Sora said with a shrug. "But it looks a little stuck. Should we try and help it?"

"Should we? It is a wild creature – it might attack us once it's loose."

"But we can't just leave it like that – it might hurt itself or starve." Sora looked at Riku pleadingly.

"Alright, alright. But we do this carefully; one of us will grab its tail while the other uses our breathing tubes to pry around the fish and loosen some of the coral. I don't want to break any of it if we don't have to," he warned Sora.

"Then I'll hold it while you pry then," he suggested.

"Alright. Give me your breathing tube." Sora handed it over, and Riku took off his own. He placed the two open ends together, making it a little sturdier. "Let's go – but be careful. If you see it moving on its own, get out of the way."

"Yes, _mother_," Sora said sarcastically. "Can we go now?"

"Fine," Riku sighed. The two dove back into the water and down towards the supposedly struggling fish. Riku went up towards the cavern's opening and readied himself. He gave a thumb's up to Sora, who gently grabbed the fish's tail with both hands on one of its downward swings. Immediately, the fish froze and stopped struggling altogether.

_Well that's odd,_ Sora thought. _Why isn't it trying to break free of my grip?_ He looked at Riku, who also looked puzzled through his goggles.

_What's going on?_ Riku also thought. _Maybe it's intelligent; if so we have to be even more careful getting it out._ Riku carefully wedged the breathing tubes in a spot where the tail and the coral met on top and jiggled it around carefully. But as soon as he started doing that, the fish began to buck and Sora had a hard time keeping the tail from hurting either himself or Riku. Surprisingly the tail was soft and tender like velvet, like skin, and not hard and slimy like most fish he had handled before.

Riku tried to hurry and pry the fish open, and just as he noticed it had moved a few inches out, he had gotten the surprise of his life. The last inch or so tail that was released was not green and purple like the other half, but a soft tan-pink color with no scales! Riku immediately stopped. Was this fish actually…a mermaid?! Riku instantly let go, and backed off. Sora, seeing his friend move away, thought the fish was free and swam away as well.

The fish / mermaid creature slowed its movements, swimming backwards out of the hole at a snail's pace. More pinkish skin showed, confirming Riku's thought. _That has to be a mermaid! But what is one doing here?_ he thought, confused.

At that same moment, the mermaid freed itself and jutted out of the small coral cavern backwards. Dually, the dust cloud from it and the two teens helping it made an even larger cloud that came spurting out and covered the immediate area when it freed itself. Neither Riku nor Sora could see through the murky water, but Sora eyed something dashing away in the opposite direction flashing green in the sun's light. He placed a hand on Riku's shoulder, pointing in the direction they had come. Riku nodded, and the two of them took off after the mermaid.

It was very fast, and it covered a long distance with ease creating a large gap between it and Sora and Riku. After chasing it for ten minutes, the boys had come back to the large rock formation and saw Kairi sitting on its edge, drinking a bottle of water and watching something to her right.

"Hey…Kairi…" Sora said, gasping for air. "Did you see a large green fish go by here? Or maybe a mermaid?"

"A mermaid?! Was that what I saw?" she demanded.

"You saw it? Where did it go? It might be hurt," Riku quickly said.

"That way," Kairi said, pointing to her right. "I thought it was a really big fish at first, but when it slapped its tail on the water it was huge! I couldn't see its head, but it must have been as big as Sora!"

"Rea-what?" Sora stopped, mid sentence. "As big as…" his eyes grew large as he looked at Riku. "Wait! Do you think that…?"

"…was Geni?" Riku finished. "She can transform herself into a mermaid? I didn't know that."

"That is so cool!" Sora said. "Let's go find her – maybe she can turn me back into the merman I was in Atlantica!" Sora put on his mask and dove in her general direction.

"Are you serious?" Kairi asked him. "Geni's a mermaid?"

"It's the only thing that would make sense," Riku pondered. "I've only seen them in Atlantica; as far as I know it's the only world populated by them."

"Well, let's go ask!" Kairi said excitedly. Riku agreed and they both quickly followed after Sora.

On the other side of the reef, Geni was berating herself as she massaged her sore tail. Yes, it had been her stuck in the coral wall; she had seen an angel fish swim into it and she had wanted to talk to it. When she swam in, she went a little too far and got herself stuck. She had only been struggling for a minute or two when Riku had found her. And when she had felt human hands grabbing her tail, she had frozen; she had known it was either Sora, Riku, or Kairi, but she was too embarrassed to show herself to Riku in a form that had over the years become quite natural to her. So she had gathered some sand that hand been lying around and used her magic to spread it around the immediate opening once she had gotten free. Like a shield, she used it to dash away hopefully unnoticed so she could change back before anyone saw her.

"I shouldn't have been that careless," she mumbled to herself and she ran her fingers over a tender spot near where her thighs would have been. The upside to being a mermaid was breathing underwater and talking with the sea life; however it limited you to where you could go or who could see you if the world you were on didn't have native merpeople living in it. But before she could think upon it anymore or turn back into her human form, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

As Sora turned the corner of yet another wall of coral, he beheld an amazing sight. Geni was sitting on a large rock that jutted up out of the ocean floor, partially turned away from him. From her waist down was a gleaming green tail with purple decorating her backside and her front side. Only part of her tail was on the rock, wile she was massaging the rest of it as it was curled upwards near her face. Her tail itself was longer than her natural legs, but only by a foot or so. Sora also noticed that unlike Ariel, his friend in Atlantica, Geni had kept her purple bikini top on instead of wearing large shells.

Excitedly, he swam up to her quickly and began waving his hands around frantically. Geni was startled by him, to say the least.

"What is it Sora?" she asked him. He pointed at her fins. "Oh, this? You've been to Atlantica, right?" He nodded. "Give me your hand." Sora held out his hand to her; she let go of her tail and swam gently to his side to take it. "Imagine what you looked like there." Sora nodded again, squeezing his eyes shut. Geni said the spell softly, and a light emerged from where their hands met and began to circle around Sora's lower body until it faded, revealing a blue shark's tail with his tanned and bare physique on top. "All done," she told him.

Sora opened his eyes, and experimentally took a breath. "Ah, that's better!" he said to her. "I've forgotten how much fun this was." He took off his snorkeling gear. "Now, why did you run off when Riku and I were trying to help you?"

"So it _was_ you two," Geni said, turning pink.

"Who else did you think was going to save your bu-I mean tail?" he chuckled.

"I just didn't want you guys to freak out or something. I mean, it's not everyday you see mermaids wandering around."

"Well, some of us do," Sora said pointedly as he pointed towards Riku and Kairi quickly making their way towards them on the surface. "Are you going to change them to?"

"Might as well," Geni sighed. "Come on, let's go up and scare them," she said mischievously.

"Sounds good to me," Sora said with a laugh. The two of them slowly made their way to the surface. Sora went under Riku while Geni went under Kairi. With a nod, they both began to tickle their friend's stomachs.

"Hey-what-that tickles!" Kairi shrieked, laughing as she tried to keep floating. Riku was having just as hard of a time, until he realized that he could clearly hear laughter coming from below him. Looking down, he saw Geni and Sora with green and blue tails respectively, instigating their torment.

Riku smiled and instead of flailing his arms immediately shot them down under the water to grab Sora's. Sora's natural instincts took over and he pulled Riku down under the water and tried to shake him off. Riku immediately let go, and quickly swum back up to the surface to spit out some salt water he had accidentally tried to swallow on the way down.

Sora and Geni popped up next to the two, deeming their tickle fest over. "Hey guys," Sora said to Kairi and he swam up next to her.

"Sora! You're a mermaid too?" Kairi gasped.

"Mer_man_," he corrected her. "And yes; Geni said she could do it for you guys too!"

"Really?" Kairi asked. "You would?"

"Of course, although it does take a little while to get used to it if you haven't done it before. Here – give me your hand Kairi." Kairi gave Geni her hand, and like before she softly whispered a transformation spell; the light flew around her lower half until it disappeared, revealing a light pink tail with white scales down her front and back.

Kairi looked down immediately and squealed with delight. "Oh my gosh! Thank you! It's adorable – and pink too!" Kairi suddenly began to splash around, and felt herself sinking. "Sora! Help! How do I work this thing!" she cried, struggling to right herself. Sora smiled, and went over to help teach her how to swim all over again.

"Do you want to have one too?" Geni asked Riku as she swum over to him.

"Sure – why not. It looks like fun," he told her.

"Alright. Same as before – give me your hand." Riku held out one hand as he continued to tread water. Geni covered it with both of hers and chanted the spell for one last time. The light covered Riku's legs, and in moments he had a shark's tale similar to Sora's; it was not blue, but a grayish-silver like his hair, and his back dorsal fin was a bit larger.

Riku looked himself over as he took off his snorkel. "Well, what do you think?"

Geni blushed, looking away. "You look nice with a tail," she said softly.

Riku peered at her, his worry from before about Geni distancing herself from them resurfacing. He smiled, wanting to lighten the mood. He held his hand out to her. "Shall we?" he said with a soft smile.

Geni looked back at him. Her conversation with Sora suddenly popped into her mind. _No! Let today be our last complete day together without that ruining it. I'll tell him tomorrow or the next day_. "Sure," she said as she took his hand. The two of them dove back under the water and swam around the bottom, hand in hand, allowing Riku to get used to his tail. Within minutes he was swimming as if born in the sea. From there they took a practice trip back to the rocks and dropped off the snorkels and drank some water, before heading off with newfound interest to explore the reef's hidden wonders.

Riku found it interesting he could talk to any creature in the sea now, and after seeing how simple some of the fish were (most of them concentrated on food and hiding 99 of the time) he didn't feel as bad as he had first felt about eating them. Geni also showed him some secrets she had learned about the sea; she showed him how to ask which clams had pearls already in them, plants that were quite edible and tasty under the water, and especially feeling the pull of the currents around you – from the currents heading towards the land and those that went into the open water, from the warm and cold currents mixing and flowing through the reefs.

As they were swimming, Geni noticed they were coming to the outer edge of the reef and into open water. Smiling, she used her underwater sense she had developed to search out for some friends she had made and to see if they were nearby. When she knew they were near, she stopped. Riku swam a bit ahead before he noticed this. "Is something wrong?" he asked her as he doubled back.

"No," she said as she smiled brightly at him. They floated in the water, their tails waving back and forth under them.

"Then why are you smiling?" Riku asked.

"Well…do you want to meet some acquaintances of mine?" she asked him shyly.

"Really? Right now? Are they some fish that live around here, or something?" he asked, intrigued.

"No…not fish. But we have to swim out into slightly more open water to meet them. It isn't far, and the depth of the water won't go past fifty feet for another few miles out. Are you okay with that?" she asked him.

"If they are friends of yours, of course I would be honored to meet them," Riku said, smiling. "So, where are they?"

Geni grinned. "Follow me, but be sure to keep up." And with that, she raced off towards the edge of the reef, her tailing flashing merrily in the sunlight that penetrated the water around them.

"Whoa! Wait up!" Riku called. He had found out quite quickly that merpeople's tails were quite powerful, and only a slight flick of them would carry them quite far. Also, it was like a very sensitive rudder; turning it only a little bit would send them careening into the nearest pile of coral. As Riku steered himself around the obstacles, he could see Geni swimming ahead of him. He had to admit, it wasn't a bad view to be behind her; her own tail was very curvy and lithe – just like her human legs. Riku quickly blushed at the thought, shaking his head fiercely.

However, just as he began to look ahead again, the two of them shot out into the open water of the ocean. The sandy floor dropped away immediately, and warm, bright ocean water surrounded them on all sides. Geni slowed down a little, but only to give him directions. "Follow my lead – we have to get their attention."

"How?"

Geni just smiled at him. "Just do what I do." And with that, instead of swimming straight ahead she waved her tail around and thrust herself towards the surface of the water on an angle. In moments, she had dived out of the water, twisting in midair, before she landed back in the water with a spin.

"We have to jump?" Riku asked, uncertain.

"Nope – just play!" she laughed. She quickly swam over and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry. I'll do the first one with you." She pulled on his hand, and Riku quickly followed her. As they quickly ascended towards the surface, Riku momentarily doubted and thought he would miss and end up belly flopping; but once they had breached the surface, time stood still. Two merpeople gracefully arcing out of the water, their tails gleaming in the midday sun, returning from ancient legend and myth. As they descended and dove gracefully back into the water, they did several underwater somersaults.

"That was amazing!" Riku cried, his adrenaline pumping.

"Told you that you would like it," Geni smirked. Just then, large popping and croaking noises emerged from out a ways, and in moments three large bottle nosed dolphins came into view. A few clicking noises later, the massive silver creatures were swimming around them.

"Geni! You're back!" the smallest one cried. "You haven't been out to play in so long! And who's your friend? Is it male? It sure is cute for a male!" she chattered away.

"Nanda, behave yourself," one of the older dolphins chided her. "But yes it is good to see you again Geni. Who is your friend?" the older dolphin asked, circling around Riku this time, appraising him.

"This is Riku – a human from above water like me," she explained to them. "This is his first day under water here, as a human fish." She looked over at Riku, noticing his puzzled expression at the use of her language. "We don't have a lot of time left before his tail is gone, so I was wondering if we could go for a quick ride?"

"Yea! Play, play, playtime!" Nanda shouted in her chipper voice. "Riku can go with me – he even looks like one of us with his tail and silver seaweed!"

Geni snorted, trying to hide her giggles with her hand. Riku raised one eyebrow at her. "Silver…seaweed?" he asked.

"Your hair," she giggled.

"Oh. Well, if you don't mind…"

"She doesn't! Grab on!" Nanda shouted as she swam a little slower around Riku. Riku didn't really know where to grab, but as he looked over at Geni to ask, he saw her place both hands around the front of their dorsal fin. The older dolphin she had latched on to took off at a sprint with the other directly behind it. "Come on, come on, come on! We'll lose them if you don't hurry!" Nanda chirped impatiently. Riku sighed, and grabbed hold like Geni had. However, as soon as he did, Nanda raced off into the waves following the other two dolphins. Riku was in shock; they were going even faster than he and Geni had been while racing around.

As they raced through the waves, occasionally jumping out and breaching them, Riku was having the time of his life. He would occasionally catch Geni's gaze and they would grin like maniacs towards each other. But all too soon Riku noticed they had turned around and were heading back towards the reef. At the edge, where the three dolphins had met them, they slowed down and Geni and Riku let go.

"Thank you, Elder Chimaya," Geni said to the dolphin she had ridden with.

"It is no problem, little one," Elder Chimaya croaked back. She turned and swam around Riku a few times. "And thank you for joining us today, human male Riku. It seems my great-granddaughter has enjoyed your company."

"She is?" Riku asked incredulously. "I-I mean, you're welcome."

Geni swam over and placed a hand on Riku's arm. "We have to go – the spell will be wearing off soon, and I don't think I remembered to tell Sora and Kairi that." She turned to the three dolphins. "Thank you all for the fun. May your waves be large and the fish plentiful."

"Come back to visit us soon, human changeling Geni," Elder Chimaya replied as they chirped back out into the ocean, soon disappearing from view.

"So…did you have fun?" Geni asked Riku as she turned and headed back towards the reef.

"Are you kidding? Becoming a merman, talking with fish, and swimming with dolphins? Trust me – nothing could top this at the moment." They entered back into the coral maze that was the reefs. "By the way, how much time do we have left until the spell wears off?"

"Oh, about an hour. But the dolphins would play all day if they could, so if I didn't say anything right away we might have been stuck several miles from shore as humans."

"I guess that would be bad," Riku surmised.

Geni stretched her arms as she swam along. "Mmm, I had forgotten how hard it is to keep a hold on their tails! My arms are sore," she said, rubbing one a little. The two of them traveled in companionable silence for a little while until they finally came back to the large rock formation at the beginning of the reef where they had placed all of their equipment. "Well, I think I'm going to do a little sunbathing while we have time yet," Geni said with a stretch as they breached the surface of the water.

Riku looked up at the sun, shielding his eyes from the bright rays. Already it has passed from directly overhead and was halfway down to the other side of the horizon. "How long have we been gone?" he mused out loud.

"Hmm," Geni said, squinting. "I would say at least eight hours or so. Time waits for no one, as they say."

"Eight hours? I could swear that we weren't swimming for more than three, maybe four tops."

"Nope – at least eight hours. The sun will set in two hours, according to its rate of descent as far as I can see. Besides, we have to go back early tonight considering it's a school night."

Riku looked at her as they floated in the water. Geni's tailed swished back and forth under her, and water ran in rivulets down her back and arms. Her long braid was still in the water, but water droplets caught the suns light and reflected little rainbows into her hair. She was staring out over the horizon. _What is she looking at?_ he wondered. "Hey, Geni?"

She turned to him, blinking. "What's up?"

"Are you worried about tomorrow at all?"

She smiled. "A little. I've never been to an actual school before; I've been home schooled ever since I can remember by everyone at the castle, Master Yen Sid, and our friends at Radiant Garden. So, to answer your question, yes I am a little nervous. I've never really been with any humans my own age before all of you came along. I just hope I won't make a fool of myself and embarrass all of you."

Riku laughed. "You won't – trust me. And we've already showed you everything new here that is electronic. Besides, all schools still go by the ancient way of the book. If you can read and write, you'll do just fine."

"Glad to know," she laughed. Turning, she swam over to the large pile of rocks jutting up out of the water. Placing her hands on the warm stones, she utilized a great deal of upper body strength to swing her entire body – her human top half and her elongated mermaidian tail – up onto the flat rock and sit on the edge of it so her tail draped gracefully down into the water. Riku had a hard time not trying to stare as she did this. "Coming?" she called to him.

"Uh, yeah," he called. He quickly swam over to her, placing his hands on the rock as he began to hoist himself out of the water. However...he rose up a foot or two before he tried flipping his tail out as she head. Instead of landing gracefully on his bottom as she had, his tail barely made it halfway before slapping lazily against another rock and dropping like one back into the water. As he came back up, he saw Geni holding her hand over her mouth, shaking slightly as she tried to hold in her laughter. "What gives?" he huffed. "You made it look so easy."

"That's because I've been doing it much longer than you have," she laughed. "Here, let me help you." She held out her hands to him. Riku swam over and held out his own, and she grabbed his wrists. She held on gently, but gave a small squeeze as she suddenly lifted him up and out of the water with only her arms. Riku's eyes grew wide with wonder, and his brained fizzled out for a moment. "Riku? Riku – turn around!" He suddenly heard Geni's voice, and found himself careening into her. She had pulled him out alright, but he should have immediately turned around and landed on his own. Instead, he flew right into her and barreled her over. They tumbled into a heap and rolled back a ways, looking very much like a green and silver ying yang.

"Ouch, sorry," Riku muttered as he rubbed his sore head, wincing.

"Um, Riku?"

"Yes?"

"Could you...ah...move just a little please?" Riku opened his eyes, and realized that he was lying on top of her! Her face was bright red, but she was looking straight at him. Riku's kinesthetic senses suddenly flared, and he could feel that _most_ of their bodies were connected, from tail to waist. In fact, he was dangerously close to squishing her chest.

Riku gasped, sounding a little unmanly, as he slid off of her and rolled a few feet away. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to –!" he stuttered.

Geni sat up gingerly, smiling at him. "You have a thing for knocking me over, don't you?" she said to him, her eyes sparkling as if laughing at him.

Riku turned away from her. "Sorry, I just...spaced out for a moment. I apologize for running into you."

Geni tilted her head. Why was Riku acting so weird all of a sudden? She shook her head, and used her hands to drag herself forward like a seal would with its flippers until she was sitting just behind him. She placed a hand on his warm back. "Riku?" she asked him questioningly. "Is there something wrong?"

Riku jumped a little when he felt her touch his back. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the strange feeling he had just had. He had been suddenly overcame with the conversation he and Sora had, about Geni distancing herself from them, and now all of a sudden her showing off so many things she had supposedly been doing "for a long time" yet had never shown or discussed with any of them – least of all him. He had mixed feelings – anger, sadness, jealousy, annoyance, and loneliness. "No, nothing's wrong," he told her, turning and showing her a slightly forced smile.

She didn't believe his act for a minute. "Riku, something is wrong. What is it?" she asked him softly.

Riku had a sudden urge come over him. He threw up his arms and wrapped Geni in them, bringing the two of them together. Geni had had her arms up in front of her, and so they were squished in between herself and Riku when he suddenly embraced her. Riku held her close for a moment, resting her head upon his chest.

"Riku?" he heard her whisper. "Riku, what's wrong?" There was a hint of fear and panic in her voice.

"Promise me you won't leave," he said in her ear. Geni started, her eyes widening considerably as she stared into tanned flesh.

"Riku?"

"Promise me," he whispered fiercely.

Geni tried to push herself away from him. "Now Riku, you're just being silly. Where would I go?"

Her attempts failed miserably, as Riku held onto her even tighter, literally forcing the air out of her. "Just promise me," he pleaded with her.

"Okay, okay – just let me breathe," she panted. Riku lessened his hold considerably, allowing Geni to look up into his shining aquamarine eyes. "I can't completely promise that – I still have to visit the castle every now and again," she tried to joke. Riku's stare bore into her, and the smile was wiped from her face. "But I will promise you that if I do leave to go anywhere I will tell you. That I can promise."

Riku's face softened. "Alright." He looked considerably relieved, and even his shoulders sagged a little as he let out a long breath of air. He leaned heavily against a large rock behind him.

"You big softy," Geni whispered to him. She turned around so she could scuttle into the crook of his arm where she proceeded to lay against him, her head resting on his shoulder. Riku placed his left arm around her shoulders protectively, his right hand resting peacefully upon his leg. Geni ran her fingers over the top of his right hand before he turned it over, their fingers slowly intertwining. The two of them sat there watching the shimmering ocean as the sun slowly made its way down towards the horizon. They barely noticed when their tails began to shimmer and split in two, returning from green and silver into pinkish-tan once more. Furthermore, they didn't even hear when two voices shouted out in indignation and splashed around for a moment before adjusting to their human forms once more. And so the sun set upon the last day of blissful peace the four friends would see…for soon _everything_ would change.


	10. High School Drama

Chapter 9

"Sora! Hurry up! We're going to be late if you don't get going, and that is one thing I _don't_ need against me today of all days!" Geni shouted up the stairs as she crossed her arms in impatience.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Sora called from his room as he quickly threw on his shoes and grabbed his backpack and raced down the stairs. "See?" he said, puffing. "All set."

"Finally," Geni smiled. They both had on their brand new uniforms: white short sleeve dress shirts, blue plaid neckties, a blue plaid skirt for Geni and blue plaid pants for Sora, navy blue knee socks for Geni, and black dress shoes for both of them. Geni had a large over-the-shoulder bag with all of her books in it that was purple (of course), while Sora had opted for the more traditional on-the-back backpack while was silver and black. "Anyway, let's get going. Riku and Kairi are already waiting outside for us."

"Okay." As they headed for the door, Mrs. Akeno suddenly came dashing into the room with a camera.

"Geni, Sora, wait! I just want to take a quick picture!"

"Now? Why?" Geni asked her, confused.

"Well, it _is_ your very first day of school. Plus, I need a picture of you two for on my desk at the hospital – all of the nurses wanted to see how grown up you two are." She was turning the camera on and pressing a number of buttons as she said this.

"Just one," Sora said quickly. "Then we really have to get going if we aren't going to be late for homeroom."

"Alright, alright. Scrunch together, you two," Mrs. Akeno said as she waved them in with her hand. Sora and Geni stood next to each other, smiling. _Click!_ "There we go! All done!" She looked at the screen where the picture was to make sure it was a good one – it was a new digital camera they had gotten when Sora and Geni had returned to the islands. "Looks good! Picture perfect! Now come here you two." Sora dashed over to his mom, while Geni only looked more confused. They were really going to be late if there was anything else their mother wanted to do. "Geni, you too." She looked over at her brother and biological mother before slowly walking to where Sora stood in front of her. Mrs. Akeno suddenly bent down and enclosed both of them in a tight hug before planting a kiss on each of their foreheads. "Every year on Sora's first day of school I always give him a big hug and kiss to remind him to be safe and for luck," she explained to Geni. "Now that there are two of you, you can help out each other. Now, hurry along, and I'll see both of you at dinner tonight."

Geni was blushing a little while the two of them called out and waved goodbye as they dashed out the door. Riku and Kairi were waiting just on the other side of the front gate for them. "I was wondering if you two were ever going to get out here," Riku said with a smirk as the twins closed the gate behind them.

"That was Sora," Geni said, defending herself. "I was done a half an hour ago. What was he doing? Still sleeping in bed," she accused him playfully.

"That's normal," Kairi sighed as she fell into step next to Sora, and Geni with Riku. "You three ready for today?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Riku answered. The four of them discussed their classes for the year, wondering who their teachers were going to be as they walked towards the business district of the island where the high school was located. As they did, more and more students appeared on the streets heading in the same direction. It was not long before whispering erupted all around the four teens, as many of their former classmates recognized the brunette and the silver-haired teen. Even more questions were directed at the girl who looked exactly like him. Word had quickly spread after the strange storm last year, especially when the two boy's parents had filed missing child reports. By the time the four of them entered into the main square in front of the school, all of the students had heard about the new arrivals.

Also… "Sora! Riku! Geni!" Selphie literally screamed from the front steps of the school. She immediately raced over to them, earning pointed looks from the other students. "You all made it! Well, what do you think? I can't wait to see whose all in my classes this year!" Selphie chattered.

"Good morning Selphie," Geni replied with a smile.

"Oh! You look completely adorable!" Selphie squealed as she saw Geni in her uniform. "I told you that you would look great in it!"

"Thanks," she replied softly, blushing.

"Hey brothers," Wakka said as he walked up from behind them. "Well, we're back, I guess."

"Come on Wakka, lighten up," Tidus said as he rolled his eyes. "All the sophomores are meeting in the auditorium before homeroom today so we can get our schedules. Let's go."

"Ya ya," Wakka sighed. The friends all smiled at him before walking in a group through the main entrance and into the large halls. It was liked any other high school: lockers as far as the eye can see, often punctuated by doors leading into classrooms. Students milled around, stuffing books and bags into lockers that had already been assigned, looking for friends to catch up from over the summer. As it had been outside, the three newcomers were whispered about and pointed at behind their backs, everyone wondering about them.

They walked through the maze of hallways and into the large auditorium, where most of the sophomore students were already seated. Walking down a ways, the seven of them claimed seats midway towards the stage. Geni looked all around her; the auditorium itself was quite large, and the architecture was quite nice, but what caught her attention were all of the students and how different they all were. She saw hair in almost every color of the rainbow (especially on some of the more imaginative students), girls and boys talking with each other with great familiarity, and the immediate cliques that were apparent. One group that was making her worry was a group of girls down towards the front row. Ever since they had entered the auditorium, their vision had seemed glued towards the seven teens, and the looks she got when she glanced out of the corner of her eye were not always the nicest ones.

"Alright students, settle down, settle down!" an older man called from the stage as he made his way towards a podium, followed by another teacher. Immediately, all of the students hurried to claim a seat and sit down. Once the dull roar had quieted to several tiny whispers, the man cleared his throat. "Welcome sophomores. I hope you all have enjoyed your summer break. We will call rows of seats to be dismissed, and you will head for the table at the back of the auditorium to receive your homeroom number and schedule for the year. Once you have it, please report to your assigned homeroom. Please remain seated until called; you may talk amongst yourselves quietly, but keep it to a minimum please. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing your progress this year."

Immediately, one of the female teachers came forward and began to call out rows of seats. A dozen students or so at a time got up and made their way to the back to get their schedules. After only a few minutes, the seven friend's row was called, and they quickly followed each other out. Swarming upon the table, each received their new schedule.

"Quick! Which homeroom are all of you in?" Selphie asked urgently.

"I'm with Mrs. Demetrio," Riku said as he peered at his schedule.

"Geni and I are in Mr. Gain's homeroom," Sora quickly said as he compared their schedules.

"So am I," Kairi added.

"I'm with Mr. Djilas," Tidus said excitedly.

"Alright! Together again!" Wakka shouted, high-fiving Tidus.

"And I'm with Mrs. Leila," Selphie sighed unhappily. "Oh well. At least we'll have some other classes together! See you all later!" she called as she raced towards her class.

"Well, let's go then," Kairi said excitedly as she grabbed Geni's arm. "You're going to love Mr. Gain – he's so cool. He teaches environmental science." Kairi began discussing possible teachers as the two of them walked away.

"Have fun," Sora said to Riku with a smile.

"Oh, I will," he said, rolling his eyes. Mrs. Demetrio was known for her eccentric collection of clocks that made noises on the hour.

Sora grinned, before he turned and ran off after Geni and Kairi. Mr. Gain's room wasn't too far from the auditorium, and moments later they were entering through the door.

"Welcome! Come on in!" A younger male teacher came up and gave them each a sucker. "Go and choose a seat, and then once the rest of the students get here, we'll take attendance."

"Thank you," Geni said politely.

Mr. Gain peered at her inquisitively. "Are you a relation of Sora's?" he asked her.

"Um, yes, I am. I'm his sister...Geni Akeno," she said nervously.

Suddenly Mr. Gain gave her a blinding smile. "Well congrats Sora!" he said loudly as he patted Sora on the shoulder. "Am I in for one of those separated-at-birth stories later?"

"Sort of," Sora laughed, pulling Geni along as they made their way toward one of the long lab tables. They quickly claimed three seats in the middle row as the rest of the students trickled in. All of the homerooms were made up of all four grade levels, to promote "peer cooperation and diversity," as their principal put it.

"Are all of the teachers here so...interesting?" Geni asked Sora as she sat twiddling her thumbs, looking around the room at all of stuffed and preserved animals.

"No, Gain is just...Gain," Sora replied with a shrug. "He's on of the coolest teachers here – you'll like him a lot. So, what's your schedule look like?" he asked her.

Geni pulled the sheet out of her bag. "Well, let's see. I have homeroom, Accelerated English 10, Pre-Algebra, Biology, World History, lunch, gym, Beginning Spanish, and choir."

Sora compared schedules as she spoke. "Hey, we have history, lunch, and gym together!"

"And you and I have English and choir together as well," Kairi chimed in next to her.

"So who's in math, biology, and Spanish with you I wonder?" Sora thought out loud.

"Well, Riku's taking Spanish this year," Kairi added. "And Selphie is also in choir with us. Also, I'm pretty sure that Tidus and Riku are in the advanced math class with you. That just leaves biology."

"Well, I'll find out when I get there, I guess," Geni said as she gave them a small smile. Inside, she was a little relieved that so many of her friends would be in her classes with her.

"Listen up! Quiet as I read your names!" The three of them looked up suddenly, realizing that the class was suddenly full and that Mr. Gain was already taking attendance.

"Adielean, Jeanne!"

"Here!"

"Afta, Michael!"

"Here!"

"Akeno, Sora!"

"Here!" Sora called out while waving his hand in the air.

"Akeno, Genevieve!"

Suddenly all eyes were upon Geni. Quietly she raised her hand and called out "Here!" Whispering broke out all around them, stares and gawks occupying many faces.

"Quiet down! Quiet!" Mr. Gain called, bringing order back to the class. The whispers quieted, but the stares increased. Geni looked down at her hands, wringing them in her lap. The last thing she wanted was to be at the center of attention. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Sora giving her an encouraging smile. She forced herself to smile back, at least a little. Mr. Gain continued for another five minutes or so, calling out names until everyone had been accounted for.

"Thank you very much," Mr. Gain called as he checked off the last name. "Now, homeroom is ten minutes every morning for announcements, which will begin tomorrow. After that, any changes in schedules, class activities, or other things will also be taken care of during this time. That is all for today, so everyone has the rest of the time to themselves." And with that, the noise erupted in the room.

Even though no one spoke specifically to them, all talk was focused on the two girls and one boy in the second row. The group in front of them, especially, had grouped together to talk. After some fierce whispering, it seemed as if one unlucky junior had gotten the job of asking questions. Turning around, the boy smiled at them. "Hey Sora."

Sora looked up from his schedule. "Oh, hey Vaan. What's up?"

"So, you're cousin is attending school with you this year?" he said nonchalantly. Even though the talk wasn't, all eyes were glued to this conversation.

Sora laughed. "Not exactly. Vaan, this is my sister Geni. Geni, this is Vaan Fanel – he's on the blitzball team with Tidus and Wakka."

"Nice to meet you," Geni said with a smile.

Vaan seemed to choke on his words for a moment before smiling back. "So your sister, eh? I didn't know you had any siblings."

"Neither did I until a while ago."

"So, how did you meet?"

Sora quickly gave Geni a look. Geni smiled and took over the conversation. "Well, when we were born I was put up for adoption. I was never adopted, so I went to a foster family on the mainland where I've been living for the past fifteen years. But my foster parents are actually distant cousins of Sora's parents. A few months ago, a great aunt of my foster family's passed away and she had left something in her will for Sora's family. When all of the families met to go over the will, Sora and I bumped into each other. It was a shock, at first. Well, anyway, since no one ever adopted me the Akeno's adopted me back and I've been living at Sora's house ever since." She breathed in deeply. "So there you have it."

Vaan's face fell. Geni felt a little bad – she assumed he had been hoping for a juicier story that that. _Well, I guess if he wanted a real story he should hear the real one someday_.

"Well, it's nice to meet you anyway, and welcome to the islands." Vaan smiled, and turned around to his friends. If anything, the talking in the room increased, although Geni pretended to ignore it.

"Nice save," Sora whispered to her. "Did you just come up with that?"

Geni leaned over. "No. Actually, I thought it up last night and perfected it just in case anyone did ask."

"Nice," Kairi giggled.

_Brrriiinnnggg!_

The bell suddenly rang, deafening everyone. Geni jumped up about a foot, while everyone else quickly grabbed their things and raced for the door. "Walk, WALK!" Mr. Gain shouted.

"Well, ready for your first day at school?" Sora asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Geni sighed, trying to calm her nerves. "Does that happen all the time?" she asked as she gestured randomly.

"The bell? Yeah – that's the signal that class ends and starts. Well, have fun in English – I'll see you history!" Sora said.

"The English classes are on the third floor," Kairi explained to her as they walked out the door and into the sea of teenagers. Geni only hoped she wouldn't be carried away with the tide...

... "Sora! Geni! Over here!" Kairi called from a table in the middle of said sea. Sora steered his sister towards the table that already seated Kairi, Riku, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. All of the friends actually had the same time for lunch this year. Sora sat in an empty seat next to Kairi, while Geni sat down next to Riku with a gratuitous smile.

"So, how were your other classes this morning?" Riku asked as he opened up a wrapped sandwich. He had only been in her Pre-Algebra class, as assumed before, besides Beginning Spanish that afternoon. All of the sophomores had the same gym period – just different teachers utilizing different places of the gym area to split the class into smaller groups.

"It was...different," Geni said with an indifferent shrug. Actually, it had not been all that different from her home-schooling at the castle; the only real difference is that there were more people whom the teacher interacted with besides her. As it was, she knew all of the subjects except for some of this particular world's history. "It was interesting to have more people in a class than just me."

Riku nodded. "That especially helps out Sora when he doesn't study. Although, with his hair, it's hard to hide behind everyone." Geni giggled softly, smiling. Riku smiled back at her; she had looked a little bewildered entering the cafeteria as it was, and when they had sat next to each other and Tidus in math.

Geni opened up the lunch Mrs. Akeno had made for her. She had a bottle of juice, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a granola bar, some apple slices, and several cookies. Also, there was a small piece of paper lying amongst the food. Picking up, she opened it in her bag and read it:

_Good luck Geni – and don't worry about school. Do your best and be yourself! Love, Mom._

Geni smiled, and tucked the note bag into the bag and took out the rest of her food. The seven friends ate quickly and discussed classes so far and classes that afternoon. Geni was even relaxing, enjoying herself in the midst of the chaos, when...

"Oh Riku!" a feminine voice called out from behind her. Geni started slightly, remembering all too well that sound. "Oh Riku, your back! I've missed you so much!" All eyes turned at the table to see a group of three girls standing behind Riku.

"Hello Leblanc," Riku said, pointedly ignoring her while eating his lunch.

"Oh, Riku. We missed you last semester. Where were you?" she said as she bent down and draped her arms over Riku's shoulders. Geni bristled slightly, trying not to let her anger and jealousy get the better of her.

"Away," he said blankly.

Leblanc looked around the table, her eyes finally coming to rest on Geni. She smiled wickedly. "Well, if it isn't the little smart girl from biology, trying to make the rest of us look bad," she sniggered. Her two underlings laughed behind her. "I heard that you got perfect scores on all of your entrance exams. How much did your _parents_ bribe the principal for that one?" she sneered.

Geni's hands were clenched under the table, and she was looking down towards her lunch as not to make eye contact – if she had, the girl probably would have been blasted with her magic and sent sprawling by then. However, her ears and face were tinged red, and everyone at the table could see that she was angry, embarrassed, or both – and by that time they knew that Geni didn't get either way very often unless it was for a good reason.

Riku saw this and clenched his jaw. Pointedly, her took one hand and pried Leblanc off of him and gave her a cold stare. "We are trying to eat, like everyone else here. You should as well." And with that, he turned around to continue eating.

Leblanc's stare was hard and cold, but a large smile graced her deceiving face. "Alright, _Riku_ – it's so wonderful how you care to make sure that I eat and stay healthy so we can see each other so much. See you in gym!" she called as she wiggled her fingers at him before she and her entourage left.

"Finally," Sora muttered, before he turned his gaze to his right. "You okay?" he said quietly to Geni.

Her hands were still clenched under the table, but her face was a little less red. Geni's still had her face down not because she was still trying to control her anger, but because she did not want to let anyone see the tears that were threatening to fall. Suddenly, she felt a warm hand upon hers. She blinked once, and then looked up to see Riku smiling softly at her. "Don't worry about that Leblanc girl – she just likes to attach herself to all of the supposedly good looking guys at school. So don't worry, okay?" he finished softly.

"Thanks," Geni whispered.

"Man, she's annoying," Tidus suddenly said loudly.

"I wish she'd shut that beak of hers, ya," Wakka added. "Although, if she's after the good looking guys, Sora doesn't have to worry."

Sora sputtered, choking on his sandwich. Geni quickly pounded his back a few times, trying not to laugh. Once Sora regained his composure and breath, he quickly said, "And what's that supposed to mean?" The rest of lunch went by without another incident, but Geni felt as if she was being watched throughout.

Once the bell rang, everyone hurried to the gym to change into their uniforms of shorts and t-shirts with the school's logo on it, and line up in the main hall for class assignments. As with the end of lunch, although Leblanc gave them all icy stares, the period went uneventful, and it just happened that all seven of them were placed in the same group. They ran laps and played a quick game of kickball. As they were about to leave, however...

"Alright students. Back for a quick shower." Most of the teens yelled and began to run for the locker rooms. "Ms. Akeno? I would like to speak with you for a moment." Geni halted in her tracks as she was walking out with Kairi and Selphie, and turned around.

"Me, ma'am?" she answered politely.

"Yes. Please come over here for a moment." Geni turned to look at the other two girls. All had questioning looks on their faces, but Kairi and Selphie gave her reassuring smiles and turned to head back to the locker room as Geni went forward to speak with their gym teacher, Mrs. Kou.

"What is it, Mrs. Kou?" she quickly asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Not at all," she said with a smile. "In fact, just the opposite. It did not escape my notice, however, that Mr. Tamohara and your brother seemed to be whispering to you throughout the game. Have you ever played kickball before?" she asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Geni was silent for a moment. Of course she hadn't played before – only thanks to Riku and Sora's quick talk about the rules and what you were supposed to do saved her from even more embarrassment. "A few times," she said hesitantly.

"I see," she said. "I also wanted to ask you one more question, if I may. It is a little personal, and considering you are new to this school and all, you do not have to answer it if you don't want to."

"I don't mind."

"Have you studied ballet or dance, gymnastics, a form of martial arts, or any kind of weapon's training before?"

Geni averted her eyes quickly. "I've had some gymnastics and taekwondo lessons, but that's all." _Well, it's not a lie – it just isn't the whole truth,_ Geni thought to herself.

"Ah, I see," Mrs. Kou said, her face brightening. "You are a very flexible and graceful person, and that only comes from years of training in some form that requires much discipline. You must be very adept at both by now."

"A little," Geni admitted, trying not to boast. Who was she to say that she had battled the minions of darkness for years and could probably beat out any professional on the planet?

"Well, that does explain a few things. Now, hurry before all the hot water is gone and you miss the bell."

"Yes Mrs. Kou," Geni said gratefully as she dashed out of the empty gymnasium. Mrs. Kou watched her go with suspicious eyes; she had heard the story circulating from the students, but she knew that what wasn't being said was being said the loudest – where that girl was _really_ from, and how she and Sora were reunited as a family.

As Geni quickly jogged into the locker room, all of the girls were talking and getting dressed already. Geni quickly made her way to the back of the locker room where she, Kairi, and Selphie had claimed lockers. "You're back! What did she want?" Selphie quickly asked her as she put on her socks.

"I think she caught Riku and Sora helping me out in the kickball game," Geni said as she quickly stuffed her things in a locker and grabbed a towel.

"Did she give you detention?" Kairi asked, completely serious.

"No. I'll be right back," Geni said as she dashed off for the private showers, making sure her chest was completely covered with the large towel Mrs. Akeno had bought for her. As soon as she had turned the water off, Geni heard the bell ring and the lockers quickly quieting as all of the girls left. She heard Kairi call that they would wait for her at the door. Geni, since she was in a private area, quickly used a drying spell and within seconds was completely dry. She ran back to her locker, and saw that Kairi and Selphie had indeed left. As she threw open her locker...it was completely empty. Her backpack was at the bottom where she had left it, but her uniform was gone. Geni looked around, seeing if she had pulled it out before she left by mistake. No such luck. "What's going on?" she mused out loud. Well, she didn't have any time to waste. She looked around, and sensed out to see if anyone was in the locker room yet. She only felt the teachers in their office on the other side, and Kairi and Selphie getting impatient at the door next to the offices. Quickly, Geni chanted out a small but complicated spell, a ball of light growing in her hand. Moments later, it was finished and she placed it against her chest. Her body glowed for a moment, before it faded and a brand new school uniform replaced it, under things and all. Geni grabbed her bag and threw the towel in the locker along with her gym clothes and raced out the door.

"What took you so long?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, just changing. Sorry," Geni said with a smile. "So where are the language rooms?" Geni decided not to mention the theft to her friends – it was bad enough considering lunch and her biology class. None of her friends were in it with her, and she had made some enemies quickly. Namely: Leblanc.

_Brrriiinnnggg!_ As the final bell rang for the day, students rushed out of classrooms and to their lockers to hurry and leave for the day. Geni sighed as she spun the dial on her lock, and opened up her locker. Out dropped a small piece of paper onto the tile below. Geni, puzzled but apprehensive, picked up the paper and quickly read it.

_Keep away from Riku – he's _mine_, nobody. Go back to that filthy orphanage you came from._

Geni clenched the note in her fist and threw it into a small bag she kept for extra storage at the back of her locker. She knew the note was from Leblanc – she was probably, almost definitely, the one who had taken her uniform from the gym. She shook her head. She wasn't going to tell anyone about the bullying; she didn't want to hurt her family and friends anymore.

"Ready?" someone said in her ear. She jumped, spinning. "What's with you today?" Riku asked her, puzzled.

"Oh, nothing. Just not used to the chaos around here yet," she said with a smile as she tossed a few items into her bag before she slammed her locker shut. "I'm ready now."

"Let's go then." Riku smiled at her and then walked stride for stride out to the front doors and down the steps. Selphie, Kairi, and Sora were already waiting for them.

"So, did you survive?" Sora joked as she and Riku joined them.

"I think I'll live," she replied. "Where are Tidus and Wakka?"

"Blitzball practice," Selphie quickly said. "They won't be done for another two hours yet."

"Oh. Well, shall we get going? I think I've had enough for one day at least," Geni said with a sigh.

Riku laid his hand upon her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "You'll get used to it. And don't let Leblanc get to you," he added.

"I won't," she said, looking up at him. The five of them began to walk home, comparing classes and teachers and groaning about the classes which they already had homework in. As they walked by the front gate, Leblanc and her two cronies were sitting on a bench. Geni and Leblanc happened to catch gazes, and she saw Leblanc's mouth drop when she saw Geni in another uniform. Geni smiled politely, and continued on their way. _Thank goodness for magic_, Geni laughed to herself at her small triumph.

That night, as Geni lay in bed, she thought about the day's occurrences. Leblanc's nasty nature wasn't going to get in her way if she could help it. The only class she would have to watch herself in from now on would be biology. Who knew that answering every question right that no other student could get would be a bad thing? Geni sighed, rolling over to stare into the full moon that shone through her window. _Maybe this high school thing is going to be harder than it sounds_.


	11. From Defensive To Offensive

Chapter 10

Several days went by agonizingly slow for Geni, it seemed. Day after day she would receive nasty notes in her hallway locker, personal items like her lunch money, her favorite purple gel pen, a small calculator, and her study notes would go missing, only to turn up in the garbage can across from her locker or covered with horribly written lies. At other times, when walking by herself in the hallways without the company of her closest friends, other "accidents" would happen. Students occasionally bumping into her quite hard, forcing her to fall and scattering the contents in her hands or her bag, wads of gum mysteriously entangling themselves in her long braid, or a wall of people preventing her from getting to class until the very second the bell rang.

She was almost completely successful in keeping these incidents from everyone. However, as usual, Riku noticed how wary and overly perceptive Geni had been of everyone around her ever since the first day of school. He had hoped it wasn't because of Leblanc, but from talking to some of the other students he found out quite quickly that in her biology class, where neither Sora, Kairi, Wakka, Tidus, Selphie, or himself was in, Leblanc continuously tried to get Geni into trouble by mixing the wrong chemicals when she wasn't looking, "accidentally" causing messes she would have to clean up, and placing notes on her desk whose content wasn't all that nice. Nonetheless, by Thursday everything would finally come to a head between herself and Leblanc.

That morning there were no notes in her locker, and by lunch Geni had checked her bag several times over and all of her things were still inside of it. She sighed to herself – maybe Leblanc was getting tired of the pranks because she never seemed to outwardly react to them. "What's up?" Geni looked up from her bag to see Sora looking at her with an odd expression, a burger halfway between the table and his mouth. Riku was in the library that day, researching historical events for their Spanish class.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" Geni said innocently.

"Well, I've seen you check your bag at least three times already in the past ten minutes. Are you afraid someone is going to steal it?" he joked.

"No. I just like to keep myself organized, knowing where all of my stuff is all the time. And besides, we already have a test tomorrow in Pre-Algebra and I had to take a ton of notes for it – I don't feel like losing them and failing that."

"Oh," Sora replied. "By the way, did you hear the announcements this morning?"

"I believe everyone did Sora – they were loud enough to cause permanent damage to my hearing," Geni said with a wince. The speaker system had been on the fritz lately, and every other word came out loud with static.

"No, I meant about the back to school dance tomorrow night." He suddenly lowered his voice and leaned in towards her. "I was thinking about asking Kairi if she wanted to go with me."

"I think she would love to," Geni whispered back. Kairi was sitting on the opposite side of the table today, talking to Selphie about a joint project for the next choir concert. "When were you going to ask her?"

"Today, after school. Oh, and don't forget we're supposed to meet Tidus and Wakka at the blitzball dome today. The team is having an open game for all students. However, I think that their coach just wants to find new players. Only two people joined the team this year."

"That's too bad," Geni replied. "But I'll be there – I just have to drop off the redo of my rough draft to my English teacher. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes or so."

Just then the bell rang, ending the small half hour of freedom from boredom. "Alright. You know where the dome is, right?" Sora asked her as he quickly gathered all of his garbage.

"Yeah – just past the gymnasium, out the doors, and beyond the greenhouses. Right?"

"Sounds good. At least we start floor hockey today!"

"It sounds like fun," Geni laughed as they headed towards the gym.

That afternoon, as the final bell rang and all of the students made a mad dash for freedom, Geni quickly walked up the one flight of stairs from the choir room to her English teacher's room. As she had assumed, less than ten minutes later she was walking back down to her locker, a smile on her face. No notes, no pranks, no nothing from Leblanc at all today. She even hummed a little tune as she opened her _empty_ locker, carefully placed all of her books, folders, and notes into her bag, and shut the door. She was looking forward to playing blitzball again; from what Wakka and Tidus had told her, the version here on this world was a lot of fun.

The hallways were already devoid of all students, save for a few teachers conversing inside random classrooms as she made her way to the other end of the school to the gym. Walking past the shiny trophy cases, she found the door to the outer courtyard. The sun was shining, and she could see the large dome not one hundred yards away. As she hopped down the steps, a voice startled her.

"Took you long enough," it said. Geni stopped and spun around at the voice, smiling. Riku was leaning up against the side of the school, his arms crossed, and his bag lying next to him on the ground. His bright aquamarine eyes shone through his silver hair, studying her intently.

"I told Sora I would hurry as fast as I could. Did he send you to find me?" she teased him as she walked up to him.

Riku shook his head, pushing himself away from the wall. "No. I had...other reasons for waiting." Riku paused, looking at her with a solemn face. "What's been going on between you and Leblanc this week?" he suddenly asked her.

"What are you talking about?" Geni said with a laugh. "Nothing has been going on. Actually, I've tried to avoid her since the incident at lunch on Monday."

"That may be true, but what about all of the pranks and notes in your biology class?" Riku saw that he had struck a chord, because Geni turned her head away. By answering his statement with silence, he knew that his assumptions had been correct. "Why didn't you tell us about any of this? We could have helped you, told a teacher, a counselor, the principal - _someone_ who could have done something."

"I didn't want any of you to get into trouble because of me," Geni said, her eyes defiant as she turned back to look at him. "After all of the trouble at the beach party, and even just a few months ago with the Organization – I wanted you all to enjoy your normal lives like you used to."

"It's _your_ life too, you know," Riku said, sighing. "I wish you wouldn't try to solve everything by yourself. What do you think friends and family are for?" he said as he walked up to her and wrapped her up in his muscular arms. Geni leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She breathed deeply, love and reassurance billowing from Riku in great waves.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. She abruptly buried her head in his uniform, shaking slightly.

"What's the matter?" Riku asked her, concerned.

"Riku..." she mumbled into him. "Maybe I shouldn't have come here after all."

Riku flinched. "Why?" he asked her quietly. "I thought that you liked it here on the islands." _With me_, he added to himself.

Geni shot her head up. "I do!" she cried indignantly. "But it seems every time I turn around, people besides Leblanc are talking not just about me but about you and Sora as well. I've heard some of the other rumors about where you two have been, where I really came from, and more, and not all of them are very kind. Maybe if you and Sora had just come back by yourselves, no one would be wary or edgy around you two," she finished quietly.

Riku stood there, flabbergasted. He hadn't heard about any of this before now. Were people really afraid of him and Sora? Why should they be? And why only let Geni hear these vicious rumors? "Don't be ridiculous," Riku snorted. "No one here would understand anything that has happened in the past two years. Even if we were allowed to tell them, no one remembers the day the Heartless came and destroyed the islands, let alone when the islands reformed after we closed the Door to Light. To them, everything is as it should be. _We_ are the strangers here; if we seem different to them it is because our eyes have opened onto the bigger picture...that even though this world is small, it is part of something much bigger." He paused. "If I had never wanted to leave the islands in the first place...you and I would have never met. My journey took me through the deepest darkness, but in that darkness is where I met you. Even after all of the terrible things I did, you accepted me for me. I couldn't imagine not being with you now," he finished.

"Riku," she said quietly. Geni stared at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Riku, I have to tell you –" she started softly before he interrupted her.

"Shush – you don't have to say anything," he said, giving her a tender smile. He slowly reached down, holding her tightly to him. Geni hesitantly stood up on her toes a little, her grip loosening from around his waist. Gently, their lips meet in an innocent kiss, gradually increasing in pressure as the two of them pressed into each other. Geni closed her eyes, a lonely tear sliding down her cheek.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Geni jumped in Riku's arms at the screech, her first thought that it was a teacher. However, Riku suddenly squeezed her tighter. She looked up at him, a large grimace on his face. Geni slowly turned in his arms, fear and anger blossoming in her chest. Leblanc stood there, staring at them, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. Leblanc was livid. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing with my man?!" she shouted at them again.

"That's it," Geni said quietly but angrily. Riku looked down at her as she let go of his midsection. She slowly turned and took several steps towards Leblanc.

"I told you, you foul orphan girl, to stay away from him," Leblanc snarled as she stared Geni down from where she stood several feet away from Riku.

Geni suddenly, but calmly, walked over to where Leblanc was standing, stopping only a few feet away from her. Her body was rigid, and her steps were mechanical. She stared the blonde down for a moment before speaking. "No," Geni said coolly, but with a hint of rage.

Leblanc started. "What...did...you...say?" she growled through clenched teeth.

"Are you deaf?" Geni finally exploded. Leblanc shrunk away from her. "I said no! Riku has chosen to be with me, not you! Are you so small and petty that you think you could smash my self esteem by playing petty pranks on me all week?! That you alone would be able to send me back? I am here to _stay_, Leblanc. So grow up, or leave yourself." Geni finished her tirade, her eyes blazing. She took one step forward, leaning in to look Leblanc in the eyes. "And if you lay a single finger on Riku ever again, I _swear_ you'll get more than nasty little letters from me. Got it memorized?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

Riku was shocked. Never, not even when she was at her angriest, had he seen Geni display this much fury towards another person. But, he had to smile; Geni had ardently defended him against Leblanc's advances, showing him that she really did care about him. On the other hand, he would also have to ask her later about where she had heard Axel's fangirl-fainting trademark line. He assumed it must have been during her time within the Organization.

Leblanc, conversely, was still cowering under Geni's glacial glare. However...Leblanc suddenly straightened up, finding her bullying courage that she had lost for a moment. "How _dare_ you," she sneered. "You don't belong here, and you never will. You can go back to whatever mud hole your _supposed_ brother found you in and rot for all I care. This just proves my theory that he is mental, thinking that you're allegedly his long lost twin sister or something. I've always believed he was never right in the head – maybe his parents dropped him on his head when he was a baby." Leblanc laughed at her own joke.

Geni clenched her fists at Leblanc's words. That had been the last straw. "You can hurt me, you can insult me, and you can trash my things, but never, _never_ – insult my brother. Take that back right now." She growled out the last few words like a large predatory cat.

"Make me," Leblanc taunted her. Riku watched the stand off between the two girls. He could feel the energy sizzling between the two of them, and decided he had better intervene before things got out of hand. He was also angry at Leblanc for talking about Sora that way, but from where he was standing he was already feeling Geni's power beginning to rise.

"Um, Geni?" he began, stepping towards the two.

"A challenge," Leblanc suddenly said.

Geni's eyebrows rose. "What kind of challenge?"

She smirked. "Something to decide things between us once and for all."

Geni frowned at her, but looked at her seriously. "What did you have in mind?" she asked cautiously.

"Blitzball," Leblanc said with a large grin. "My stake is…" she thought for a moment, before smiling evilly. "If I win I get Riku."

"What?!" Riku shouted indignantly.

"That's the stake. Whoever wins is Riku's new girlfriend. And the loser –"

"If you lose, you have to apologize to Sora in front of the entire school," Geni suddenly said. She paused before continuing. "If I lose…if I lose I will leave the islands and go back like you wanted."

"What? No!" Riku shouted, running over to stand next to her. "Geni, don't do it!"

"Done!" Leblanc said, smiling mischievously as she stuck her hand out. Geni immediately brought out her own and they shook hard on it. "Lots of people are at the open game in the stadium – we'll do it right now."

"Fine with me," Geni answered coldly. The two girls, as if on a silent command, turned and began walking towards the stadium.

Riku stood there with his mouth gaping open for a moment, before running to catch up with Geni. He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back slightly. "What did you do?" he whispered fervently to her. "You've never played blitzball before! And Leblanc was the best player on the team before they kicked her off."

Geni turned to him. "Do you trust me?" she asked him quietly.

The question caught Riku off guard. Geni stared at him for a moment before walking out from under his hand and back towards the stadium. Riku stood there, unsure of himself and unsure of what Geni's plan was. She had one in mind, considering the way she was acting, but her ultimatum! If she lost she promised to leave the islands for good…and there was no way any of them were going to let that happen.

Sora and Kairi were sitting on the bleachers watching Tidus and Wakka warm up with the rest of the school's blitzball team. Selphie was one of the team's managers, and so prepped the equipment and organized everything for them. At the moment she was racking the balls, waiting for the water pumps to finish filling the dome. The water sphere was half full already, and it wouldn't take much longer to fill considering its small size. "Where are Riku and Geni?" Sora wondered out loud. "They should have been here by now."

"I'm sure they're just taking the scenic route," Kairi giggled.

"I suppose you're right," Sora said with a smile. "Hey, uh, Kairi? Can I ask you something?" he said, blushing a little.

"Sure Sora. What's up?"

"Um…did, did you…did-you-want-to-go-to-the-dance-with-me-tomorrow-night?" he said in a quick breath, before holding it as he waited for her answer.

Kairi's face lit up like a beacon. "Of course! I would love to Sora!" she said as she threw her arms around him. Sora blushed an even deeper crimson, before quickly hugging her back.

"Hey, who's that?"

"Is Leblanc planning on trying out this year?"

"I thought she had been kicked off the team permanently…"

"Isn't that Sora's sister with her?"

"Are they both trying out?"

"I thought Leblanc hated that girl's guts?"

"Should be an interesting match."

Sora and Kairi slowly looked up and towards the main doors to the stadium. Leblanc and Geni had walked in together, strolling right up to the coach as he was drilling the team in pushups. Sora peered closely, but didn't see Riku anywhere. "What's going on?" he said quietly.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's anything good," Kairi answered. "We should get down there." As they stood up, he saw Geni and Leblanc walk up to Selphie before all three of them headed into the girl's locker room. The couple quickly made their way down to the floor, stares and whispers trailing after them, and dashed over to speak with Coach Djilas.

"Coach Djilas! Coach Djilas!" Said man turned around, seeing Sora waving at him. As they ran up, the coach smiled brightly.

"Sora! Why didn't you tell me your sister wanted to try out for the team? Leblanc, on the other hand, if she does make it, will be on probationary terms for a while considering she _was_ kicked off of the team only last year. Are you both going to try out with them?" he finished excitedly.

"No, sorry – I'm not that good," Sora said sheepishly. He shook his head suddenly. "Wait! How are both of them trying out?"

"Well, it is a little unusual, but the two girls didn't want to try against the rest of the team. They wanted to make it a one-on-one match."

"Okay, thanks coach," Sora said. He turned and walked away a few steps before pausing, scratching his head in thought.

"I don't like the sound of that," Kairi whispered into Sora's ear.

"Me neither. Can you go talk to Selphie or Geni for me and see what is _really_ going on? I'm going to go find Riku."

"Well, there he is," Kairi said, pointing. Riku had just walked slowly into the stadium, and sat down absentmindedly onto the lowest bleacher. He was hunched over slightly, his hair falling around his face to mask his emotions.

"I'm going to go talk to him. I have a bad feeling about this." Kairi nodded, and then ran off towards the locker room. Sora ran over to his best friend, who had a blank look on his face. "Riku? Riku, what's the matter?"

Riku looked up at Sora. "Geni and Leblanc are fighting over me."

"What! Why?" Sora asked as he sat down next to him.

"Well, Geni and I were talking next to school and Leblanc saw us. She screamed for Geni to get away from me, as if she owned me. After that, something in Geni snapped. She shouted at Leblanc; I've never seen her so angry before," Riku said slowly.

"What happened next?" Sora tried to pry out of him.

"Leblanc said some terrible things…about her…and about you."

"Me? What did she say?"

"An interesting twist to your hyperactivity. Anyway, that's what sent Geni over the edge, and it looked like they were about to get into a fight when Leblanc suggested a game of blitzball. She bet on the outcome that whoever won would be my new girlfriend."

Sora grimaced. "Should I ask? What about the loser?"

"If Leblanc loses, she has to apologize to you in front of the entire school. But Sora, Geni said if she loses that she'll leave the islands for good like Leblanc wanted."

Sora jumped to his feet. "No! She didn't! She –!"

"She did Sora," Riku answered quietly. "And if it comes to that, I know she will. Geni values her honor too highly to go back on it so easily."

"But Geni doesn't know how to play blitzball! She was coming here to learn how!"

"I'm not so sure about that," Riku said. "When I asked her the same thing, she asked if I trusted her."

Sora sighed. "Well, it sounds like she has a plan. We'll have to, I guess…trust her, that is. Geni wouldn't have agreed to something so serious like this if she didn't know what she was doing." Sora placed a hand on Riku's shoulder. "Maybe you should go talk to her before their match."

Riku looked up, nodding. "I think you're right." He stood up and walked quickly over to the girl's locker room where Kairi was just exiting. They spoke for a moment before Riku stood around to wait and Kairi walked over to Sora.

"So? What's going on?" he asked her. "Riku said Leblanc and Geni are playing a game of blitzball as to who is going to win Riku."

"And it's all true," Kairi said with a sigh.

"Did he tell you about what happens to the loser?"

"Yes. What was she thinking, agreeing to those conditions?! Did she even consider how the rest of us, especially Riku, would feel about that?!" she ranted.

Sora placed a calming hand on her arm. "I wouldn't say anything just yet. It seems like Geni has some kind of plan, or trump card, up her sleeve. I don't think she plans on losing at all."

Kairi looked at him hopefully. "You think so?" She was quiet for a moment, until her face brightened. "I think you're right! When Selphie gave them those wetsuits to wear, Geni took hers and put it on right away without asking for any help. If she didn't know at least something about blitzball, she would have had to ask Selphie to help her put it on!"

"And there you go," Sora grinned. "I suggest that we leave the game to those who know how to play it, and go grab good seats where we can see the entire sphere." The two of them walked back up to their seats, the burden of the match slightly lifted.

Geni was sitting on a bench in the girl's locker room, stretching out the now dry wetsuit. As she did, she could hear Leblanc doing the same thing on the other side of the locker room before she heard her steps slapping against the tile as she walked to the showers. A quick spray let her know that Leblanc was wetting her suit down, and loud footsteps coming towards her let her know she was done and walking outside. Geni walked quietly to the back of the locker room into an open area with showers. Turning on the water, it blasted out cold and she rubbed the suit down. Turning off the water, she ran her fingers through her spikes. She had double-checked her braid to make sure it would not come undone in the water. Now set for the match, she stood in the deafening silence of the locker room. _What am I doing?_ she thought to herself.

Riku waited patiently for Geni to come out of the locker room. Leblanc came out first, batting her eyelashes at him. Riku calmly sidestepped away from her, earning him what Leblanc probably thought was a cute pout. When Geni finally did, he had to hide his blush. Geni was wearing a spare wetsuit, black with purple stripes on the sides, arms, and legs. It had short sleeves and shorts on the bottom, and fitted her form perfectly. Her legs and arms were thin, but he could see strong muscle underneath. She was dripping water, forming tiny puddles as she walked. As she strolled out of the locker area, she saw Riku waiting for her. She walked up to him, back straight and face defiant. She was about to open her mouth when Riku stopped her with a hand.

"Me first. I don't know what is going on, but obviously there's something you aren't telling me about this match. And thinking it over, I know you wouldn't have agreed to those conditions if there wasn't a good reason, so I won't worry about it. I have absolute confidence and trust that you will come out the winner. Just, do your best, okay? I'll be cheering you on with everyone."

Geni closed her mouth, smiling. "Thank you Riku, for trusting and believing in me. I won't let you down," she promised.

"I'll hold you to that," he said with a smile, before he quickly hugged her. Letting go, he said, "Sora, Kairi, and I will be up in the stands in the center section – that way we can see what goes on in the entire sphere."

"Alright."

"Ms. Akeno! If you please!" Coach Djilas called from the entry point closest to them.

"I have to go now," Geni said.

"Trounce her," Riku said with a smile. Geni nodded, smiling back, as she walked quickly over to where Coach Djilas was waiting with Leblanc who had exited the lockers before her. She was wearing the opposite of Geni's colors, an emerald wetsuit with white stripes. She had watched the exchange between the two of them, her jaw clenched tightly.

"Are you two ready for your trial match?" he asked them. Both girls nodded. "Alright then. I'll be broadcasting all rules and such over the speaker for the benefit of the other students, so pay close attention." Coach Djilas turned, and began speaking into a cone attached to a small computer console next to him.

"Boys and girls! We have the first trial match of the day! The rules are as follows for all matches. Number one: any entry and exit from the sphere are by the specified points around the base of the sphere only! Any entrance or exit from anywhere else on the sphere will cause the security system on the perimeter to activate and create a shield on the outer surface of the water. Number two: goals are only scored in the opposite teams goal only. Number three: only regulated blocks, passes, and special moves are allowed that coincide with national regulations. And finally, rule number four: the matches must be kept clean, with no tricks or use of equipment besides the official ball at any time. The first two people who will be trying out will be Leblanc Sable and Geni Akeno!" Cheers were heard from the stands. Coach Djilas turned towards the girls. "Leblanc, you will enter here. Geni, please walk over to the next entry point where Selphie is waiting for you. You will both enter the sphere simultaneously and the match begins when the buzzer sounds and the ball is released into the sphere. There will only be one ten minute match, with breaks every two minutes. Also, each of you will receive one emergency breathing device full of oxygen for each of the five sessions. Any questions?"

"No sir," they both answered.

"Good! Then let's have a good game!"

Geni quickly walked down the steps and over fifty feet or so to where Selphie was standing on another set of stairs. Her heart was beginning to beat a little faster, but she took several deep breaths to calm herself. _I have to win…for Sora and Riku…_

"Ready?" Selphie said, her usually bright smile gone. When she had found out the reason for the match, she had openly opposed it. When she found out that Geni was stubbornly set on doing it, she had stormed out of the locker rooms. She had told Tidus and Wakka what was going on, and they wholeheartedly agreed with her. However, Geni had brushed off their worries, and reassured them that she would win. Watching her now, and seeing how calm she was, Selphie could only wonder.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Geni sighed. She took several deep breaths, practicing as she waited for the signal.

"You'll beat her! I know you will!" Selphie encouraged her.

"Thanks Selphie." Geni closed her eyes, regulating her breathing, calming her heart to slow the speed of the adrenaline running through her body like it was running a marathon. She focused on the soft sound of lapping water in front of her, clearing her mind of all cares and concerns, her entire being focusing on one objective.

Just then, a green light flared into life on the gate above her. "That's the signal – good luck," Selphie said to her encouragingly.

Geni nodded, taking one last deep breath, and plunged into the sphere. The water was cool, but not to the point of freezing. It was a little disconcerting, being able to see everything in the stadium albeit slightly distorted, but she shook her head and concentrated. Quickly, she swam up to the starting line in the middle of the sphere. Leblanc quickly joined her. The two girls locked eyes, before a loud buzzer sounded and Geni saw the ball drop from above, beginning the match of her life.


	12. A Game To Remember

Chapter 11

The ball dropped quickly from above them. Leblanc saw it coming and like any blitzball player, prepped her legs to furiously kick to get there first as it quickly descended towards the pair. However, like a blur, Geni was soaring through the water, up above Leblanc's head, and had grabbed the ball as she spiraled away towards Leblanc's end of the sphere kicking like mad.

Cheers erupted up and down the stands at the sudden reversal, most students assuming Leblanc would be dominating the game. Geni, oblivious to her sudden fans, sped through the water like a rocket. She could sense that Leblanc was hot on her trail, and she tightened her grip on the ball. She was less than thirty feet away from the goal when Leblanc caught up to her. She was suddenly in front of Geni, having swum up from underneath her. Geni, ignoring her first instinct to stop, if anything tried to swim faster towards Leblanc. Leblanc saw this, and was confused – to her it seemed as if Geni was going to ram into her. At the very last second, Leblanc tried to block her by swimming towards her on her path of collision, her arms out in front of her to grab the ball. Geni, in a split second move, threw the ball far ahead of her past Leblanc. Leblanc, a true blitzball player, attached her eyes to the ball – and like any amateur, took her sights off of her opponent. Geni grabbed Leblanc's wrists, and used her forward momentum to propel them both in several circles before she let go, thrusting herself towards the ball and the goal and leaving Leblanc heading in the wrong direction.

As Leblanc madly back paddled and tried to right herself, an extremely loud buzzer rang out, signaling the first goal of the match. Geni floated near the glowing rectangle exclaiming her triumph, her arms crossed as she treaded water, staring at Leblanc with a small smile. Leblanc curled her fingers into fists, her face red.

At the first goal the entire stadium exploded in sound. Geni's first reversal was nothing compared to the fact that she had scored within the first thirty seconds of the match against an experienced player like Leblanc. Students yelled, shouted, whistled, clapped, and stomped the benches in unanimous approval. Sora and Kairi were also on their feet, cheering away. "Did you see that?! Did you _see_ that?! That's my sister!" he shouted proudly.

"Why didn't she _tell_ us she could play like that?" Kairi demanded of him, a huge smile on her face.

"Like anything else with her – we just never asked her," Riku replied, the weight on his shoulders beginning to lift. "We all assumed she had never played before, even though we never asked her or she offered to tell us. That was why she wanted us to just trust her on this," he finished, smiling.

"And _we_ were worried," Sora said, his shouts lessening. "Man, I think we owe her a huge apology for doubting her like this."

"I agree," Riku said, turning his eyes back to the match. Geni and Leblanc had started off the next round, the ball dropping at the sound of the buzzer. This time, however, Leblanc reached the ball first as she began to anticipate Geni's moves. She darted back and forth in the water as she headed towards Geni's goal, making it more difficult for her to stop Leblanc. Like before, there was no reason to worry. Leblanc put so much effort into dodging Geni that when she looked back for a second, she saw that Geni had disappeared. It was at that same moment when the ball was pushed out of her hands by Geni rushing down from above her. Leblanc spun for a moment, before hurrying in quick pursuit of Geni who was swimming in the lower half of the sphere with the ball back towards Leblanc's goal. This time Leblanc could not catch her in time, and Geni scored yet another goal, making the score two to zero.

The first round continued, with both girls scoring on each other, until the buzzer sounded twice, signaling the first round was over. The score was three to two with Geni in the lead by one point. Geni headed towards the exit where Selphie was standing, slowing down so she could land on the inner platform and walk out onto the outer platform where Selphie waited with a bottle of water and a large towel.

"That was amazing!" she screamed at her, tackling her once Geni had covered herself with the large towel.

"Thanks," she said, a light blush staining her cheeks as she shivered a little. Selphie helped her sit down on the bench, making sure she drank plenty of water before the next round started. After a moment of heavy breathing, Geni asked, "So, how am I doing?"

"Besides the fact that you are kicking Leblanc's butt?" Selphie snickered. "You've been converting many of Leblanc's fans who happened to be in the stands today. You should have heard the screams after your first bout – I think we could have heard it all the way back home."

"Really?" Geni said, looking down.

"Oh yeah. Plus, a bunch of students and teachers have been slowly showing up, not to mention people in the general area. Take a look around." Geni looked up at this, her eyes widening. A third of the stadium had filled up by that time, when only a hundred or so students had been there at first. Now, there must have been at least four hundred people watching her match with Leblanc. "You're getting to be Miss Popularity around here," Selphie said laughing.

"I guess," Geni said quietly back. "Hey, Selphie? Where is it?"

"Right here," Selphie said as she reached into her backpack, retrieving Geni's thalassa shell necklace from inside of it. Geni had given it to Selphie to keep safe for her during the game. Geni held it, running her wet fingers over the shiny surface.

"Hey, Selphie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

Selphie entered into one of her rare quiet moments. "I know why you're doing this, but only you can answer that. I believe you are doing the right thing, by defending Sora. And as for Riku, well…you probably already know what I think about that."

The buzzer sounded out twice, indicating the beginning of the next round. Geni quickly stood up, handing the towel, bottle of water, and her necklace to Selphie. "Thanks Selphie."

"Anytime. Now, go and make Leblanc eat her words!"

Geni nodded, and went to stand at the sphere entrance. The light changed from red to green, and she dove back into the cool water once more. As Geni swum to the center of the sphere, she quickly looked around to see if she could spot her friends sitting in the stands. It was hopeless, and she quickly gave up. The uniformity of the students due to their uniforms made it impossible to discern one student from another within the sphere. Swimming up to the face off line, Leblanc and Geni stared at one another, using their facial expressions to intimidate the other. The buzzer sounded, and the ball dropped from above signaling the start of the second round.

Suffice to say, the two girls went head to head in the next four matches, scoring goal upon goal, until they were finally at the last rest period before the fifth and final round would begin. The sun was slowly setting, and the lights of the arena had been turned on for the spectators, even though there was still plenty of daylight left. Geni had tied the score yet again, the score being nine to nine. She stood next to Selphie, shivering under her towel while Selphie rubbed her hands up and down her arms. The island breezes did not help her any, and as the wind played with her hair her teeth started to rattle.

"You're almost done," Selphie said encouragingly. "One more round and the match will be over. And you're already tied. Score once, keep Leblanc from scoring, and you have it in the bag."

"Thanks," Geni said as her teeth clacked together. The cool water combined with the wind seemed to go right through the wetsuit to her skin, sending chills up and down her. "I only hope Leblanc doesn't try anything again before this is over." During the third round, Leblanc had Geni chasing her around the sphere stalling for time, and at one point swam so close to her that she almost pushed her out of the sphere almost sixty feet away from the ground.

"The coach shouted at her for that one, even though she claimed it was an accident. Just – be careful. Leblanc isn't one to taking losing gracefully, and if I know anything from seeing her on the team last year, is that she will do whatever it takes to win: hence the reason she was kicked off the team."

"I understand," Geni said, trying to bring her shivering under control. The buzzer sounded twice, letting everyone know the last and final round was about to begin. "Well, here I go."

"Good luck, but be careful," Selphie said. Geni nodded to her, before stepping up to the entrance gate. In a moment, the light changed from red to green, and Geni quickly entered the cool water. She could feel her arms and legs beginning to tire, and it took her a little longer than usual to reach the center of the sphere where Leblanc was waiting for her. Leblanc smirked at her, and placed both of her hands under her head and looked as if she were sleeping. Geni frowned, trying to ignore her instigations. She was saved by the buzzer, for at that instant it sounded and the ball dropped from above. Geni drew together all of her remaining energy, stamina, and strength and reached for the ball at the same time Leblanc had. Luckily, Geni got to it first and sent it swimming towards Leblanc's side of the sphere. She chased after it, and soon caught up with it and began to swim frantically towards the goal line.

Leblanc, on the other hand, quickly eyed the field and plotted the easiest way to flow with the internal tide of the sphere. She had a plan in mind, one that would allow her to win, but it was risky – not just for her but for her intended target. Leblanc began to swim upwards, following the outside edge of the sphere. She could see Geni below her quickly making her way to Leblanc's goal. Leblanc pumped her legs as hard as she could, and the forward momentum of the internal current shoved her faster and faster until she was right on top of Geni.

Geni, feeling the change in the water around her, looked around. To her dismay, she did not see Leblanc. She slowed to Leblanc's delight. Leblanc suddenly forced her body like a torpedo into Geni, effectively knocking the ball out of her hands and sending her wheeling across the sphere. Leblanc grabbed the ball, and used the underside current of the sphere this time to propel herself towards Geni's goal.

Geni quickly tried to right herself, for she was coming dangerously close to the outside of the sphere. Once she did, she kicked and swam as hard and as fast as her body was allowing her to try and intercept Leblanc. Only she was too far away – in mere seconds Leblanc had scored another goal, making the score in her favor of nine to ten.

"Oh," Sora groaned as the buzzer sounded out Leblanc's goal. "What's going on? Why is Geni slower than before?"

"I don't know," Kairi murmured. "It started in the end of the last round. It's almost as if, figuratively speaking, her batteries are running low."

"That's it exactly," Riku confirmed as he watched the two girls inside of the sphere solemnly. "We now know Geni has played blitzball before. However, unlike Leblanc, we also know that Geni hasn't played in at least two years, since the beginning of our journey and hers. If anything, she is out of practice."

"Well, she only needs to score two more times and keep Leblanc from scoring as well to win the match," Sora said confidently.

"Easier said than done," Riku muttered. _Come on Geni! You can do it! We all know you can._

Oh, if only she could have heard those confident remarks, for at the moment she was losing her nerve as well as her energy. The two girls were swimming back to the starting line, the round almost half over already. If Geni could not score in the next minute and a half, they would either tie or Leblanc would score on her, winning and ruining everything Geni treasured. Pondering upon this, Geni dug deep within herself to find the last bit of strength she could. As she waited at the entry point for the ball, she steeled herself, ready to push herself to her utmost limits.

_Bzzztttt!_ The buzzer sounded, and the ball dropped for perhaps the last time. Geni shot upwards, reaching the ball well ahead of Leblanc, and somersaulted in the water to right herself in the direction of the much needed goal. She pushed all of the strength she had left into her legs, willing them to go faster. She did for a while, gaining much needed space between herself and Leblanc. However, Leblanc soon caught up, due to her regular training as a blitzball player allowing her to play with more strength of body for longer periods of time. Leblanc came from around Geni and blocked her straight shot to victory. The two girls hovered there in the water, staring each other down.

Geni knew that the clock was running, and so tried a desperate move. She floated slightly to her right, noting that Leblanc followed her every move. Suddenly, she shifted herself far to her left and launched the ball as hard as she could behind Leblanc. Leblanc, assuming she was tossing the ball away, quickly followed after it, not knowing that Geni was using the same principle that Leblanc had for her last goal. The ball spun in the water, catching the internal current running through the middle of the sphere. Once the straight course from Geni's arm had finished, gravity took over and the undertow of the water pulled the ball faster and faster until it zoomed into Leblanc's goal, nearly shooting out of the sphere as it was caught in the net.

As the buzzer announced the goal, Leblanc was furious. She saw Geni floating exactly where she had left her, where she had thrown the ball from. With only thirty seconds left in the game, the two girls were tied yet again. Leblanc decided that it was now or never, and that she would have to force Geni to lose. She looked around her, noting the spaces in between the sensors located around the sphere. Picking out a large area on the top of the sphere, she smirked and quickly paddled to the center of the sphere to permanently end Geni's short-lived career as a blitzball player.

Geni carefully made her way back to the center line, making sure to keep her movements steady and to use the water around her to push her. Leblanc joined her there at the same time, her face set in grim determination. Geni smiled a little, waving at her. Leblanc turned her head away, treading water choppily. Mere seconds later, the buzzer sounded for the very last play of the game. It was the deciding moment – who would score the final goal: Leblanc or Geni?

The crowd roared at the sounding of the final buzzer, the two girls inside of the sphere dashing upwards towards the falling ball, racing each other to grab it first. Luckily, Geni stretched her arm out just enough to tap the ball upwards even more out of Leblanc's reach. Leblanc paused momentarily, allowing Geni to swim up just ahead of her to reach the ball, putting her plan into action. Geni pumped her legs back and forth as hard as she could, ignoring the throbbing within them. The ball was getting quite close to the watery ceiling of the sphere, and with one last reach Geni snagged the ball in her fingers, stopping herself not fifteen feet away from the sky above her. Leblanc, seeing this, grinned and suddenly rocketed herself upwards into Geni, her plan commencing into two parts: one, that the ball would be knocked out of Geni's hands and into hers, and two, that Geni would be pushed upwards out of the water which would hopefully trigger the safety mechanism and trap her within it.

Her plan worked beautifully. Leblanc hit Geni square in the stomach, involuntarily making her drop the ball and letting Leblanc take it easily away from her. As soon as she had the ball, she stopped her forward momentum against Geni who was still shooting up towards the surface of the sphere. Leblanc sneered at her, quickly descending towards the goal leaving Geni just about to break the surface of the water.

Geni quickly tried to slow her ascent, but it was too late. Her legs were the first to break the surface of the water, leaving her stranded half in and half out of the water as the security protocol around the sphere launched into action. Technically, it was there to prevent anyone from falling out of the sphere or entering it without going in from the bottom by hardening the outside surface of the sphere with a substance that clung to everything it touched. Most times it had been used were when a player was already outside of the sphere and could hold onto it until help arrived. In Geni's predicament, however, once the sphere was locked down tight, her legs stuck up at an odd angel to the sphere, leaving her torso and head inside of it.

Geni tried not to panic as she found she could not move an inch, using her arms to push against the sphere entrapping her. Calmly, she tried reaching down towards her leg to where her breathing device was. Before she could touch it, her hand hit the hard shell her midsection was trapped in. Her only supply of oxygen was out of her reach, and she knew that she less minute left before she couldn't hold her breath any longer.

Leblanc, on the other hand, was casually making her way down to the goal but still swimming quite quickly, as if she didn't know what was happening on the top of the sphere. She launched the ball into Geni's goal, but to her utter dismay the buzzer sounded twice seconds before the ball shot into the goal. The match had ended before Leblanc was able to score her last point and effectively win the match. It ended in a tie.

However, Geni's predicament did not go unnoticed by the spectators. "What happened?" Sora asked, worried. "Where did Geni go? I don't see her." The three of them were searching the watery sphere. They had seen Leblanc begin to swim in the direction of Geni's goal, but the other girl was no where in sight.

"Look!" someone screamed. Sora, Riku, and Kairi followed the woman's pointing finger to the top of the sphere, where two legs had suddenly popped out, triggering the safety system. The constant movement ceased immediately as a shell surrounded the sphere, pinning Geni half in and half out of it.

"Geni!" Sora shouted as he jumped up. He began running down the bleachers as fast as he could, trying not to trip over people as he passed. Riku and Kairi were right behind him. People moved out of the way as they saw the three running. Coach Djilas had already put all members of the blitzball team and Selphie into emergency protocols by the time the trio arrived at the base of the sphere, nearly thirty seconds after the emergency system had activated.

"At least one person on every entry point! As soon as we get the shell deactivated, get those girls out of there! Make sure everyone has a spare breathing device as well!" Coach Djilas shouted as he quickly typed on the computer console next to him. "Selphie, get plenty of towels and the first aid kit ready just in case!" he called to the girl the next platform over.

"Yes sir!" she called as she made a mad dash for the locker rooms.

"Coach Djilas!" He turned his head, seeing the three students from before. "Coach Djilas, what happened?" the brunette said quickly, his face tense with worry.

"I'm not sure. Somehow your sister managed to pierce the top of the sphere, activating the protective shell around it. However, she did not clear it and is stuck half in and half out of it. As far as we can see from the camera up top –" he pointed to a monitor next to him, showing Geni's legs pushing against the sphere as she tried to free herself "– she can't reach her breathing device which is attached to a hook on her leg. If we can't get to her soon…" the coach trailed off.

"Then what can we do?" Riku suddenly said, his eyes hard.

"I have the team approaching at each checkpoint – two on each. One to shut down the shell, and the other to try and get in. You two," he said as he pointed to Riku and Sora, "can enter here. If you could please go and help Selphie?" he asked Kairi.

"Of course," she said as she dashed down to the locker rooms.

"One of you put this on," he said quickly as he shoved a pair of swim trunks in their faces, his face never leaving the screen. He began to worry – Geni's movements were becoming slower and slower by the second. He was also furious with Leblanc: she was treading water at the far entrance to the sphere, as if completely oblivious to the girl's predicament. She had on her own breathing device, and was patiently waiting for the shell to come down.

Wordlessly, Sora had handed the swim trunks to Riku. He nodded, and jumped down under the platform to change. Within moments, he was finished.

"I'm ready." The coach turned and looked at the two boys. The taller one with silver hair had already jumped down under the platform and changed where no one could see him and jumped back up.

"Good. Sora, stay by the manual override so when I'm done here we can lift it and get in. Riku, you'll enter the sphere as soon as we do."

"Gotcha," Sora said, walking over to kneel next to a large lever.

"Wait for the signal." Coach Djilas suddenly grabbed the loudspeaker. "All team members! Countdown to manual override in five, four, three, two, one, flip!" As soon as he said this, the five members all across the sphere and Sora flipped the large levers, and the shell immediately disappeared. As soon as it had, Riku dove into the cool water and kicked as hard as he could, racing for the top of the sphere.

Geni could feel herself fighting a losing battle as she fought to keep the air inside of her burning lungs. It had been one and a half minutes since the shield went up, and so far nothing had changed. No matter how she kicked, punched, or pushed against the wall, she could not budge herself free. She suddenly began to panic for a moment, accidentally opening her mouth and drawing in the water. She coughed, trying to clear the water from inside of her. She only succeeded in inhaling more water into her mouth and nose. As this happened, she could feel her body becoming extremely heavy, and her motions slowed to a halt. Geni tried to keep her eyes open, but everything was turning dark…she couldn't see anything around her as her vision dimmed. Her air supply was gone, and there was no one coming to her rescue.

_Riku_…she thought numbly as the last of the bubbles drifted out of her mouth. She barely felt when the barrier suddenly disappeared, and she began to float downwards into the sphere. As her eyes closed, she thought she saw a dark shape coming towards her, before she completely lost consciousness.

In mere seconds Riku saw Geni's form slowly descending in the water, motionless. His brain screamed at him to hurry up, and he swam faster than he had ever before. A moment later he had reached Geni, pulling on her hand to bring her next to him. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open. He grabbed her around her waist, and began to pull her dead-weight form along with him down to the closest exit. Suddenly, several people in bright yellow uniforms appeared around him. It was Wakka and Tidus with two of their teammates. They grabbed her arms and helped Riku to pull her down. With the extra help, in less than ten seconds they were landing on the inside platform and walking outside of it, Geni being carefully dragged between several pairs of arms.

"Lay her down! Selphie, bring the first aid kit and towels over here!" Coach Djilas shouted as he ran up the ramp. Then Wakka, Tidus, and Riku carefully laid Geni down on the ramp. "Alright, move over, all of you," Coach Djilas ordered. The team moved away, but Riku stayed close to Geni on the opposite side that the coach was. He leaned over, checking for a pulse on her neck before leaning down to listen at her mouth, watching her chest for signs of breathing. _Damn – she's got a pulse but she isn't breathing._

Coach Djilas placed two fingers on Geni's forehead and two under her chin and tilted her head back, before he began giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He breathed air into her lungs twice, before he sat up and intertwined his fingers over her chest. He began to push up and down upon her chest, trying to force the water out. "Come on girl, _breathe_," he hissed.

Riku watched on in horror, feeling completely helpless. As a rule, all students had to take first aid and CPR, but he could barely make his arms move at the moment. He was frozen in shock, scenes from atop the castle of The World That Never Was flashing through his mind.

Coach Djilas, after twenty repetitions on her chest, once again gave her several breaths. Still no change. He intertwined his fingers once more and began to push up and down on her chest. Suddenly, Geni's chest seized and she arched her body up once before water began spilling from out of her mouth, her eyes wide open in fear. Coach Djilas smiled in relief, rolling her over onto her side so she couldn't choke on any more water. "There you go, that's a girl. Cough it all up," he told her gently as he patted her back. Geni continued to cough and hack out water until she started heaving in large breaths, shutting her eyes tight. Her body involuntarily curled in onto itself in a fetal position, shivering from her time in the water. "Selphie! Some towels!" he called.

The team and Selphie had looked on, frightened for the safety of a friend and classmate. Once Geni had begun coughing up the water, all of them had quickly breathed a sigh of relief. Selphie quickly walked up the ramp, several large towels in her arms. She gently placed one over Geni, and helped her to sit up a little so they could wrap several around her still shivering form.

"Geni!" Sora cried as he raced up the stairs and threw his arms around his sister, teary eyed in relief. "You're okay, you're okay," he whispered to himself like a mantra.

Geni still felt quite heavy, her heart still racing, and her breath still coming in short gasps, but she leaned into Sora's shoulder gratefully. He didn't care that she was soaking his uniform, he didn't care that the match had ended in a tie; all he cared about was that she was safe. Geni shivered in his grasp, partly from the cold and partly from the fear that was still gripping her.

Kairi had walked up behind Sora, several tears of relief trailing down her face. She noticed Riku sitting against the railing, his normally expressive eyes strangely blank. Walking over to him, she knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. Riku looked up at her, his face a blender of emotions. "Are you okay?" she asked him quietly.

"For a moment, I thought...I thought..." he stammered softly.

"She's _fine_ now, and that is all that matters," Kairi said firmly but gently. She grabbed a spare towel from Selphie's pile and wrapped it around his shoulders. "However, I think there is someone around here who is in for a ton of trouble," she said, narrowing her eyebrows. Riku looked up, following her gaze, as he saw Leblanc walking towards them with several students flanking her.

As she walked up the ramp, Leblanc paused in front of the small group. "Is she alright?" she asked in an innocent and fear-filled voice. "I didn't realize what had happened until the shell went up for some reason. I didn't even see her up there. What happened?" she asked, her voice dripping with false sincerity.

"After you stole the ball away from her, she didn't have enough room to stop and was caught in the safety protocol," Coach Djilas said dryly. "We will be reviewing the footage from the match to see what actually happened. For now, the stadium is closed until further notice."

"Yes sir," many voices answered him.

"Sora, Selphie – please take her to the locker room. Aurochs! Kindly have all of the people in the stands shown to the door, and then we will lock up for the night. Good job, all of you," he said beaming at his team. "Now let's hurry up."

"Yes coach," the team replied as they jogged towards the other side of the stadium. Many people were milling around the base, trying to see what had happened. The Aurochs went right to work, showing people to the exits and evacuating them from the building as soon as possible. Sora and Selphie gently helped Geni to her unsteady feet, swaying between them as she stood up. They wrapped their arms around her, and slowly made their way down the ramp. Leblanc watched from the side, an almost invisible smile on her face. When Riku and Kairi walked down the stairs, Leblanc walked up to him.

"Well, Riku? What did you think? Even though it was a tie, I still swam circles around her. I mean, getting caught up in the emergency shell – what an amateur," she said with a slightly too happy sounding sigh.

Riku turned to her, gripping the towel around his shoulders. "That was no accident," he said calmly. "You are just a sore loser." Leblanc spluttered, her face turning red. "Save it Leblanc – everyone will know exactly _what_ you did after Coach Djilas looks over the videotapes from the match. As far as I'm concerned, you lost that match – Geni was the one who played fair and square the entire time. That idiotic bet you two had is now null and void. Although I _will_ see to it that you still apologize to Sora in front of the entire school. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go and see the winner." With a sub-zero cold shoulder, he turned and walked to the locker rooms with Kairi.

"I won't apologize," Leblanc said quietly to herself, her gaze as hard as stone. Everyone had walked away, leaving her by herself to stand under the glowing sphere. "I swear...Riku _will_ be mine."

The Destiny Islands High School blitzball team, the Aurochs, and their coach were talking quietly outside of the girl's locker room when Riku and Kairi walked up. Everything went silent as they joined them. "How is she?" Riku asked Coach Djilas quietly.

"She'll be fine – she just swallowed a little too much water, that's all," he said with a smile. "Selphie and Sora are in with her now."

"May we go and see her?" Kairi asked him.

"Of course – but only this once," he said with a grin to Riku.

Riku looked at him blankly, before realizing the joke and laughing a little. "Yes sir," he said to him. The two of them walked into the large tiled room and immediately spotted the three sitting on a bench.

"Geni!" Kairi cried out.

Geni looked up from where she had been leaning on Sora's shoulder, his arms around her protectively, and gave her friend a little smile. She was still shivering, but the rest of her – excluding her wetsuit – was finally dry. "Hi Kairi," she replied in a strained voice.

Kairi knelt down in front of her friend, concerned. "Are you alright? Are you feeling okay? What exactly happened?" she rushed.

Geni nodded. "I'm feeling better now, thanks," she said before she inhaled deeply. "Leblanc just slammed into me in order to knock the ball out of my hands and in the process I went straight up through the surface of the sphere, triggering the safety protocols. That's all."

"You mean it really was an accident?" Riku said sourly.

Geni looked up at him. "I guess so," she replied in a whisper. "Hey, Sora? Can we go back to the house now? I'm kind of tired."

"Of course," he said right away.

"We'll help her Sora," Kairi offered.

Sora nodded, standing up. "I'll go call mom and dad and let them know what happened. Instead of walking home, I'll have one of them come and pick us up. They should be here in about fifteen minutes or so."

"Alright," Kairi answered him. Sora gave his sister one last hug before walking out the main door. Riku stood there for a moment until her realized Kairi and Selphie were staring at him.

"What?"

"Um, Riku? She can't go home in a wetsuit," Selphie said with a giggle.

Riku's face turned red as he turned around. "I'll just wait outside," he mumbled as he quickly walked out. Kairi and Selphie laughed as they watched him depart, Geni smiling at him. The girls quickly helped Geni out of her wetsuit and into her gym uniform which was more comfortable than her school uniform. As they finished packing everything up, Selphie loaned Geni her official Aurochs windbreaker, as she was still shivering when they finally walked out of the locker room.

Riku had changed back into his uniform, and was waiting near the main doors to the stadium. He was talking with several members of the blitzball team, and all faces were eerily serious – especially when it came to Wakka and Tidus. When they saw Geni, Kairi, and Selphie slowly walk up to them, Wakka turned to face them.

"Hey," he began, looking down as he scratched his head.

"What is it Wakka?" Geni asked him quietly.

"We're sorry!" he suddenly burst out. "This is all our fault."

"Wakka, don't be silly. This was an accident, and nothing more," Geni said as she placed a hand on his arm. "Why are you taking the blame anyway?" she asked him, puzzled.

"We knew Leblanc was a dirty player," one boy said as he stepped forward into the light more. Geni suddenly recognized him as the boy Sora had introduced to her on the first day of classes, Vaan Fanel. "She was kicked off of the team by using dirty tactics to win. And knowing that, we shouldn't have allowed the match to take place. So, yeah – it is somewhat our fault that she actually did do something that could have really hurt you," he said, looking away. The team members present, boys and girls alike, nodded in consent.

"What is done is done," Geni said calmly. "The match is over, and I am fine. So please don't burden yourselves like this any more," she asked them, smiling. Everyone looked at Geni; her features were still pale, and she looked exhausted, yet _she_ was telling _them_ not to worry.

"Hey guys!" Geni turned to see Sora running through the main entrance to the stadium. As he joined the group, he said, "Mom will be here in a few minutes. She isn't happy, to say the least," he said with a wince.

"What did she say?" Geni asked him.

"What didn't she say? First she was angry because we didn't come right home after school even though I had told her this morning we were staying because of the open games for blitzball. Second, why didn't you tell her that you were trying out for the team so she could be here to watch you. Third, how could something like that accident even happen. And so on, and so on…" Sora said, shaking his head. "Either way, she's going to be here in a minute or two to get us, so we had better hurry up to the front of school."

"Alright," she said. Turning to the Aurochs, she said, "Thank you all for helping me earlier. I am deeply indebted to each and every one of you," she finished, bowing towards them.

"Ya, ya," Wakka said, waving his hand while trying to hide a blushed tint to his cheeks. "Just rest up. With that display you put on this afternoon, I just know that coach is going to want to recruit you."

"Not if mom has anything to say about it," Sora said under his breath.

"Well, we'll just have to convince her, won't we?" Tidus said with a wink.

Geni laughed. "I'll give it plenty of consideration. See you all in school tomorrow," she said, waving goodbye as she, Sora, Riku, and Kairi walked out of the stadium. The rest of the team had to stay behind to clean up and empty the sphere into the holding tanks under the arena. The Aurochs waved goodbye and called out well wishes to them, and also thanked her for a spectacular match.

As they walked along, Geni was very quiet. Strolling past the green houses and back towards school, she was surprised to see that the sun was still quite a ways above the horizon. In total, she had played for less than fifteen minutes; the entire ordeal totaled less than an hour, but it had felt like several hours had gone by to her at the time. Rounding the corner of the school, a dark blue minivan pulled up and an older woman jumped out and ran up to them. Mrs. Akeno enveloped Geni into a suffocating hug, before pulling away to check her all over. "Are you alright? What happened exactly? Should I take you to the hospital for a quick check-up?" she asked, firing questions at Geni rapidly.

"I'm fine Mamoru," she said softly.

Mrs. Akeno looked down at here, staring deep into her ocean blue eyes. "Don't ever scare me like that again," she said in a choked voice as she enveloped Geni in her arms. Geni was tired, and did not want to argue with her at the moment, and just leaned into her embrace.

"I'm sorry," Geni said to her. "It was an accident, nothing more. I just misjudged how far away I was from the surface of the water. It was my own fault, no one else's," she finished firmly.

"Is this true?" Mrs. Akeno asked the other three, her gaze somber as she looked at each one of the teens in turn.

"Yeah." Riku spoke up first. "The girl she was trying out against accidentally pushed her a little too hard while trying to get the ball so Geni couldn't stop as fast, hence why she only got caught in part of the sphere."

Mrs. Akeno looked at the tall boy solemnly, before smiling. "Alright then. If it was only an accident, then everything is alright. However, I don't want you doing any swimming for the next week, got it?" she said sternly as she tilted Geni's chin up so they were looking directly at each other.

"I won't," Geni said softly.

"Good. Dinner's waiting, and tomorrow is still a school day. Let's go home." Mrs. Akeno let Geni go and turned to walk back to the minivan. The four teens quickly followed, jumping in and buckling up. The ride back to the Akeno's was quiet, everyone unsure of what to say. The four teens knew better, knowing that Leblanc had purposefully pushed Geni into the outer surface of the sphere, but also did not want Mrs. Akeno worrying any more than she had to. She dropped off Kairi first, and then doubled back to their own house.

Riku hopped out first, offering a hand to Geni. As she was getting out her legs gave out a little from under her, still being a little weak from the game, and she toppled forward into Riku. He caught her expertly, holding her up until he felt she could stand on her own. "Are you alright?" he asked her quietly.

She looked up at him with tired eyes. "I will be. A good night's sleep will be the best thing for me anyways. The only thing I really have to do is study for the math test tomorrow, which in itself shouldn't take too long anyways."

"Good." Riku eased his arms away from her, making sure she could stand on her own. Sora had jumped out behind Geni, reaching to help her but stopped once he saw Riku had everything under control. He walked around the car and distracted his mom with questions about dinner all the while steering her into the house, allowing the couple to speak for a moment. "Do you think you could talk for a while later?" he asked her, his voice quiet.

"Sure," she replied. "Where?"

"Someplace a little private. Do you think you could make it up onto your roof?" Geni nodded – they had met there several times since they had come back to the islands when both of them had needed some alone time. "Alright. How about after everyone has gone to bed? Say eleven?"

"Alright. See you later." Geni smiled at Riku before walking to her front door and closing it gently behind her. Riku walked in silence next door to his own house, his head full of thoughts.


	13. The Aftermath

Chapter 12

Geni was quiet all evening, offering little to her parents as to what went on that afternoon. Sora threw in answers for her, reassuring the adults that nothing serious had happened besides a faulty play. After dinner, Geni was excused from dishes to the protest of Sora, and quietly went up to study for her pre-algebra test the next day. She was tired and angry, but she knew that school came before anything else.

Two hours later, drawing out her study time with random excursions around her room, Geni finished. It was almost ten; she could hear the television on downstairs as her parents watched the local news. She could also hear Sora in his room listening to some music as he worked on his own English paper. Looking around, Geni found that she was too tired and too bored to really start anything. However, her train of thought was about to be derailed.

As she straightened up her desk, her crystal ball began to glow brightly from underneath a piece of cloth she had put over it that night when she had gotten home. It had already been glowing when she got home, and she hadn't felt like answering. Whoever had been calling was persistent, and called her every half an hour waiting for her to pick up. Knowing that she couldn't avoid Queen Minnie's calls forever – Geni had crystal caller ID – she gently took the piece of silk off and brought the crystal in front of her, looking deeply into it.

"Hello Queen Minnie," she said in a tired voice.

"Finally! Why haven't you been answering?! I've been calling all afternoon and night! What happened over there! I had this horrible feeling that wouldn't go away, which means something bad happened over there. For a few moments, I couldn't even sense your presence. What _happened_?" Queen Minnie demanded in her tiny voice, as she brought her face very close to the crystal ball, magnifying her eyes and nose to an even more enormous proportion.

"Nothing happened, Queen Minnie. I was playing some blitzball, and just had a little accident, nothing more."

"Accident! This didn't feel like an accident! Your presence _disappeared_, Geni. There are only two ways to do that: you travel to another dimension, or you..." Suddenly Queen Minnie's eyes grew wide. "But you're still here! Tell me everything right now, or I swear I will teleport myself right to the middle of your parents living room!"

"Okay, okay!" Geni said, sighing in defeat. She quickly told Queen Minnie most of the details of the afternoon, leaving out how serious the accident really was, but leaving in enough details that Queen Minnie wouldn't drag her back to the castle (hopefully).

"And that's all?" the little mouse queen asked suspiciously.

"That's all," Geni replied. "It was an accident, nothing more. It wasn't anyone's fault."

Queen Minnie sighed. "I knew it. I just _knew_ it was going to be a bad idea to let you go to a public high school. You already have a new enemy out of a teenage girl who wants the boy who likes you to yourself. I can't believe she would go so far as to try and make you leave."

Geni shrugged. "That's high school Queen Minnie. And it's just her, no one else. In fact, I love my classes and all of the new people and new things I'm learning here. And I know you're thinking this – please, _please_ don't make me go back and live at the castle." Geni looked pleadingly into the crystal ball.

"What makes you think –? Ah, never mind. You know me all too well. And I'm only considering you're well-being, my dear, you know that."

"Love you too, Queen Minnie," Geni said with a smile.

"Likewise, my dear." Queen Minnie paused, and looked around behind her before turning back to the crystal. "I have to warn you, as long as Mickey's not here. They've found the scroll."

Geni started, staring at the crystal. "Already?" she said, lowering her voice. "I thought I had another week, at least."

"No. Somehow they were able to discreetly ask someone who knew where it was hidden, and then they retrieved it. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy will be here by tomorrow morning with it, and from there at the latest they'll be to the islands by Saturday morning."

"So soon?" Geni whispered, leaning back into her chair as she lowered her head.

"I'm afraid so," Queen Minnie answered. "Are you ready for this? This will change the lives of everyone close to you; for the better, or for the worse, we won't know until it is over."

"With preparations, I've been ready for the past week. I've been going every night for a few hours this past week when everyone has been asleep. However..."

"You haven't told them all yet, have you?" Queen Minnie asked gently.

"Well, I've _sort_ of told Sora. But I haven't told Riku anything yet. I've tried to, and somehow whenever I try to something comes up and I have to put it off. If the King is going to be here in less than a day, though, it will have to be soon." Geni paused, breathing deeply. "How can I tell him that I have to break my promise to him?"

Queen Minnie suddenly placed a hand over the crystal, darkening it. Geni heard mumbled voices on the other side, before her hand was lifted. "I have to go now Geni. You know when the King and the others are coming for them, and you know what you have to do before then. If you ever need to talk, I'm always here," she finished with a gentle smile.

"Thanks Queen Minnie, for everything. I'll call you tomorrow if I can. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, my dear. I'm sure everything will work out for the best in the end." And with that, the crystal ball darkened, pulling Geni's room back into an uncomfortable silence. Geni sat at her chair, musing over the new information Queen Minnie had given her. King Mickey was moving faster than she thought he was, so she had to step up the pace as well. Looking over at her clock, she was surprised to see that their conversation had lasted well over forty minutes. Also...

_Knock, knock_. "Geni? May I come in?" Mrs. Akeno called.

Geni quickly placed the sheet of silk over her crystal ball and shoved it back into the corner of her desk and whipped out her math book to a random page. "Come in," she called as she pretended to study.

"How are you feeling?" her mother asked as she walked over to her desk.

"Fine," Geni said, closing her book. "I just finished studying, so I think I'll head off to bed. I'm a little tired from today," she admitted.

"Well, I'm not surprised. If you are still feeling a little sore or if anything hurts in the morning, let me know. Other than that, pleasant dreams," Mrs. Akeno said as she ruffled Geni's spiky hair with a chuckle.

"I will. Good night," Geni replied as she stood up. Mrs. Akeno walked out her door and closed it gently behind her. Geni straightened up her room for a bit, hanging up her uniform for the next day, organizing her book bag, and setting her alarm clock. All of this took less than ten minutes. She looked at her clock once more, seeing that it was ten minutes to eleven. Geni walked over to her window, which faced Riku's house like Sora's did. She kneeled on her window seat and peered through the darkness. She saw one light at the far end of the second story on, as well as Riku's, which was in between hers and Sora's. Riku had his curtains drawn, but she could see a shadow moving back and forth on it.

Geni drew back into her room. Not wanting to be suspicious, she undressed and put on her pajamas, leaving her pair of ballet slippers next to her bed and a light jacket hanging on the back of her desk. As she walked over to her door, she opened it to find a surprised Sora on the other side, just about to knock. "Hey Sora. What's up?" she asked him.

Sora quickly darted his eyes away, and placed a hand on the back of his head sheepishly. "I just wanted to see how you were doing," he asked her, grinning. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I'm a little tired, but nothing a good night's sleep can't cure." She looked straight into his eyes. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble today," she said quietly, noting her parent's open door down the hall.

"Hey, none of that was your fault – it was all Leblanc's. We're all just glad that you're okay," he said. He stepped forward and gave her a great big bear hug, squishing her.

"Sora! Sora! I can't breathe!" she choked out as she was trying hard not to laugh.

Sora quickly let go, allowing his twin to inhale deeply. "That's just a reminder," he said with a smile.

"For what?" Geni asked him, confused.

"To remind you that we all care about you and that you don't have to shoulder all responsibility on yourself. See you in the morning!" he called as he walked back into his room, closing the door. Geni stood there, shaking her head as she smiled, before she headed into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before she headed up onto the roof to meet with Riku.

Speaking of which, Riku was in his house currently preparing himself for the next day as well. After he said goodnight to his parents, he waited several minutes before he heard soft snoring coming from down the hall. His house was around the same size as Sora's, but instead of three rooms they had two larger rooms on the second floor instead. Turning off all of his lights, he slipped on a pair of sandals and drew aside his curtains. The moon was nearly full tonight, shining down upon everything like a large flashlight. He looked across to his friend's house, noting that all of the windows were dark there as well.

Riku was wearing his pajamas as well, a pair of baggy pants and a t-shirt. Looking around, he stepped up onto the window sill before he quietly jumped to the ground twenty feet below him. Landing softly, he quickly jogged across the space the two houses shared. Arriving at the garage, he jumped straight up onto it, followed by another jump up to the roof. He was glad that both of their houses had soft shingles, where his footsteps were muffled. Even so, he was careful of how much noise he made. He walked across the slightly slanted roof to the back of the house, which had two windows that led into the attic. The windows were framed like the rest of the house, which allowed for a small but comfortable area in between them. You couldn't see if anyone was sitting there unless you walked directly into the backyard and stood on a small stepladder while looking up.

Riku made his way there, and in moments he could see a small form sitting between the two rises. Geni did not turn, but said softly, "Nice night, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Riku replied as he sat down next to her. Geni was wearing her pajamas of a long pair of pants, some kind of shirt, her ballet slippers, and a light jacket. Her knees were tucked up to her chin, and her arms encircled her legs. "How are you doing?"

Geni laughed gently. "For the last time, I feel fine. Just a little tired."

"That's good," Riku replied. They sat there for several minutes, enjoying the view of the moon reflecting upon the ocean not too far from them. They were sitting side by side, their bodies touching a little. A cool night breeze blew up around them, and Geni shivered slightly. Riku saw this and gently brought his left arm up around her shoulders. Geni leaned into him a bit, resting her head on his warm chest. "Today..." Riku suddenly started. "This afternoon, I was terrified. I couldn't do anything to help you; it reminded me too much of The World That Never Was."

Geni had been listening quietly, knowing that Riku was talking about the accident at the blitzball dome. "It was you, wasn't it?" she said quietly. "I saw something in the water swimming towards me, before I couldn't see anymore..."

Riku chuckled. "Yeah, that was me. Wakka and Tidus with some of the other team members swam in to help me pull you out. Coach Djilas had to give you CPR, you know, to get all of the water out of your lungs. I think it was right then, when he had started doing it a second time around, that as I saw you lying there motionless..." Riku suddenly stopped, making a choked noise in his throat. Geni quickly looked up at him, seeing that he had turned his head away from her. "I thought I had lost you again," he said in an overwrought voice.

Geni felt unshed tears sting at her eyes. She took her left hand, and reached up to turn Riku's face towards her own. Her fingers were cold, and as he turned, she saw that he really had been crying – well, he at least had one tear sliding down the side of his face. "Thank you," she whispered. Those two words said it all. Geni suddenly let loose, allowing the tears to run down her face as she buried herself in Riku's chest. He held her close, allowing her to vent all of her anger, frustration, fear, and sadness from the past week. Geni sobbed quietly, not wanting to alert anyone to their presence.

Riku held her tight, his throat closed with a large lump in the middle of it. He wanted to vent out his own emotions, but he knew he had to be strong for her. It was harder for Geni than it was for him, coming to live here; at least he had known what he was coming back to. On the other hand, at times Riku felt like he was a stranger in his own land. Everything had changed yet remained the same. However, he was glad he had one person to share it all with...one person whom he could tell anything to, who would be there with him through the good times and the bad, who would stand tall next to him. The person who was in his arms now, cowering and expelling her emotions to the only person she would ever dare cry in front of.

As Geni finally gained control over her raging emotions, she felt her eyes becoming very heavy. "Hey, Riku?" she murmured, pushing herself gently away from him.

"What is it?" he asked her, looking down. "Feel better now?"

Geni blushed. "I'm sorry. It seems every time we're alone lately I end up venting and crying on you."

"Who says I mind?" he said in a whisper. Geni smiled at him. He could see the bags that were forming under her eyes, and he could sense that her energy levels were quite low. "I think it's time to head in for tonight."

"Yeah." Geni placed one hand down upon the roof, and slowly rose to her feet. Riku followed suite seconds later, and the two of them walked back to the side of the house where Geni's window was. As the stood over her open window, Geni turned to him. "Thanks Riku, for putting up with me."

"Always." As he was about to jump down to the ground, he paused, turning back to her. "Hey, Geni?"

"Yes?"

He swallowed noisily. "Would you...um, would you like to go to the dance at school with me tomorrow?"

If anything, the blush that stained Geni's face red made her look like a boiled lobster. "You m-mean like a-a d-date?" she stumbled out, turning away from him. He face burned with embarrassment, and she thought she might have steam coming out of her ears by then.

"Exactly." Geni turned hearing Riku's voice so close to her ear. When she did turn, she found Riku so close that when she faced him their lips ended up colliding. "Mm-mmph!" Geni mumbled, before she relaxed into the gentle kiss. Riku placed his hand along the side of her face, deepening the kiss just before he pulled away.

"Should I take that as a yes?" he said with a smirk.

Geni whacked him on his shoulder. "Thank you, and yes, I'll go," she said with a quiet laugh.

"Good. It starts at seven, and it's in the gymnasium at school. I don't think we have to wear anything fancy, thank goodness."

"Sora is taking Kairi," Geni blurted out, unsure of what to say.

Riku smiled. "Good for him. Have you ever been to a dance before with only teenage humans?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, but it couldn't be any worse than the dances at the castle."

"Good." Riku turned back to the edge of the roof. "See you in the morning then." And with that, he nimbly hopped off of the roof and landed on the grass below. Geni quickly followed, jumping down but grabbing onto the roof to vault herself into her own room. Riku waited on the ground until he saw her peek her head out.

"Goodnight Riku," she called quietly.

"Goodnight," he called back. He saw Geni pull her head in, before only her arms appeared to close the window tight. Smiling to himself, he turned and casually walked back to his own house where a warm bed waited for him.

The next day, the entire school was abuzz with two events: the dance that night and the blitzball game from the day before. The students who had been there had told all of their friends, and all of those friends told all of their other friends, and so on down the list until the entire school knew about it. From the view of the spectators, most could put two and two together to figure out that the "accident" was somehow Leblanc's fault. No one had said it out loud, but that fact surrounded Leblanc that day like a ten foot barrier on all sides. The only people who would talk to her or even go near her were her underlings who really didn't know any better.

On the contrary, Geni turned into a student celebrity overnight. Students began crowding around her in between and in classes, making up for all the time they had spent ignoring or overlooking her and bombarded her with questions. Most were about how she had become such a good player at blitzball, but others were genuine questions about her life. Geni enjoyed talking with everyone, but had to be twice as careful that she didn't let anything slip about her off world life.

The other new rumor circulated around the dance that night, and who would be going with whom. Unbeknownst to Geni or Riku, they had been holding hands for the walk to school even though they had separated before they had entered the main square. Now everyone in the school, especially the girls, were gossiping over why the hottest boy in school (at least according to them, although the author tends to agree) would be going out with the new girl. Most figured if they were together, they would be going to the dance together that night, and looked forward to even more gossiping if they did.

After an exciting day at school, with no news yet from Coach Djilas about the game, all of the students went scurrying home to prepare themselves to look their best and to have fun. Selphie, Kairi, and Geni were all at her house getting ready together. Kairi was going with Sora, Geni was going with Riku, and Selphie was going with Tidus (no surprise there). Geni had sent a call to Queen Minnie, requesting that she send some of her more up-to-date clothes over to the islands for the event. When they had arrived, no ear plugs could control the amount of squealing coming from Kairi and Selphie.

Sora and Riku had gone over to his house to hang out when the girls had invaded. Sora had thoughtfully grabbed his change of clothes for the night before Geni had shooed him out the door. Tilting his head, as the two of them sat eating muffins, Sora said, "I haven't heard anything in a while from my house. Do you think that something happened to them?"

Riku shrugged. "No matter how tomboyish those three may seem most of the time, they're still girls Sora. They _have_ been getting ready for the past three hours. As it is, we'll have to get ourselves ready soon and see if they're ready. Tidus and Wakka are going to be here in twenty minutes."

"That soon?" Sora looked over at the clock on Riku's stove. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll go first, if you want," he offered as he stood up.

"Go ahead. Bathroom's on the left," he called as Sora began walking out of his kitchen.

"I've been coming over her for how long?" Sora called back sarcastically. "I think I can find – whoops, laundry room." Riku shook his head when his friend decided to remain quiet.

Half an hour later, Tidus, Wakka, Riku, and Sora we're walking up the Akeno's front porch, surprisingly in decent attires. Sora was wearing a pair of black denim jeans with a plain white t-shirt under his black hooded jacket he received from the Good Fairies. Wakka, not wanting to impress anyone, had on his normal everyday clothes with the exception that his mother had forced him to wash them – so they were actually a bright yellow color for once. Tidus had on dark blue denim jeans with his multicolored jacket on top. Riku had on his blue pants with the large pockets and his blue and black vest, but had opted for a long sleeved white shirt instead of the sleeveless one he normally wore.

"Oh my! How handsome you four look!" Mrs. Akeno gushed as they walked in the door. "Wait – hold it there Wakka." Mrs. Akeno jumped into mother mode, licking her thumb and then wiping at a spot of dirt on his cheek. She rubbed it hard for a few moments, before stepping back and smiling. "Much better."

"Yeah, thanks," Wakka said as he rubbed his cheek, looking perturbed.

"Where is everyone?" Sora asked as he looked around.

"Oh, the girls are upstairs. They're done, so they should be down in a moment." Just then, a light tapping noise came from the stairs. Selphie came down first, in a yellow sundress with small ruffles on the bottom. She was wearing one of Geni's sandals that had the laces running up her shins.

"Well, what do you guys think?" she said as she spun around once.

"Oh, you look adorable Selphie!" Mrs. Akeno said, stepping in before one of the boys said anything they shouldn't. "Your color is definitely yellow."

Selphie bounced up to Tidus. "Well, do I look okay?" she asked him.

"You look very nice," Tidus said, almost mechanically, trying not to say anything that would get him in trouble with the brunette.

"I'm ready too!" Kairi called as she walked down the stairs. She was wearing a dark red top with long sleeves that flared out at the ends, and a white skirt with a pair of leggings underneath it.

"Wow, you look really nice Kairi," Sora said, complimenting her. Mrs. Akeno must have been telling him what he should say to her because she nodded and smiled at this.

"What until you see what Geni's wearing," Kairi said. "I can't believe she just let it sit in the back of her closet at the castle."

"Why? What is she wearing?" Sora asked her. More footfalls were heard on the stairs as he asked this.

"See for yourself," Kairi said as she turned towards the main stairs. As Geni slowly walked down the stairs, Riku couldn't help but stare. She was wearing a two piece dress; the top half only connected over one shoulder, leaving the other shoulder bare, while her skirt ran down to the tops of her ankles but had two modest slits up each side stopping just above her knee. The dress was all black, except for the outlines of flowers in a rich purple. The fabric was like Chinese silk, and reflected the light well. She was wearing a pair of simple black sandals that intertwined all around her foot. Geni had also put her braid up into a ring on the back of her head, and a small jeweled pin held it together in the very center. And, of course, she wore her thalassa shell necklace around her neck.

As Geni stopped at the bottom of the stairs, she looked up to see all of her friends staring at her. "Um, is this okay to wear?" she asked timidly. "Kairi and Selphie said –"

"You look really cool!" Sora said, interrupting her. "I've never seen a dress like that before."

"It's from the Land of Dragons," Geni said simply as she walked up to them. "The top is a little different, but that's about it. Is this going to be okay to wear tonight?"

"You'll be the belle of the ball," Mrs. Akeno said with a sigh. "Now, picture time! Everyone scrunch together!"

Riku quietly went over and took Geni's hand, making her blush. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "You look absolutely amazing." If anything he made her blush even more so. After fifty million pictures or so, Mrs. Akeno deemed them all ready for the dance, and piled them all into their minivan. As she dropped them off at the school in the darkening twilight, the seven friends walked through the main doors of the school and headed for the gymnasium. At the door, several teachers took the tickets that had been handed out, and stamped each student's hand.

Geni was holding on tight to Riku, squeezing his hand almost to the point of cutting off the circulation. "Are you ready for this?" he asked her as they passed the teacher's checkpoint and headed for the closed doors of the gym. A soft pounding beat could be heard coming from inside.

"I think so," she replied softly.

"Just have fun, and don't worry about anything or anyone," he said to her. Stopping, he pushed the door opened and the couple walked inside. Geni's eyes lit up at the sight of the transformed gym. The lights had been dimmed considerably, and it had been draped with dark blue, light blue, and white streamers, and bunches of the same colored balloons dotted the tables in the back with food on them. The bleachers were brought out a little ways for seating, and a large square had been cordoned off by tape on the floor. The DJ was playing a fast song, with a loud bass beat, and a handful of students were already dancing to it. Several teachers watched the punch bowls in the back, on the lookout for students with small bottles in hand. "Well, what do you think?"

"It's beautiful!" Geni said, breathless.

"Hey! You two are slowing up the line," Sora said with a laugh. Geni and Riku walked into the gym and waited for the rest of their friends. Once everyone had entered, they decided to stake out a spot on the bleachers until more students decided to start dancing. As the seven walked across the gym, pairs of eyes trained on them and stared. Whispers began, and the rumors that had begun earlier that day were quickly verified. And for one blonde girl, sitting with a large group of girls and boys around her on the opposite side of the gym, these rumors were met with anger.

Leblanc saw Geni in the most amazing dress she had ever seen, and her eyes narrowed. Many of the boys who had been asking to dance with her were staring at the newcomer, and one or two even had the gall to leave and walk over to where they had sat down. Leblanc looked down at her own dark blue dress, a one of a kind by a very fancy and very expensive boutique on the mainland. She hated to admit it, but compared to Geni's hers seemed like a handmade hand-me-down.

Sitting on the bleachers, Geni watched the couples and friends dancing in groups. It seemed like there was no real coordination to the dancing, but a lot of generalized moves that were copied by everyone who in turn bounced to the beat in their own creative way. This was not a waltz, or tango, or some other dance which had clearly defined steps and rules – it was complete freedom of dancing, to dance how you want to without anyone else caring.

"Hey, you're the new girl, right? Sora's sister?" Geni looked over from her musings to see a tall boy with long blonde hair standing in front of her, one foot on the bleacher below her looking directly into her eyes.

"Yes," she answered monosyllabically.

"The name is Allen Schezar. I'm sure you've heard plenty about me already," he said, sounding quite full of himself.

"Sorry, I haven't," Geni said bluntly. _What's with this guy?_

Riku watched the conversation with interest; he could see that Geni was not very accepting of the guy's advances on her, and he readied himself to step in if need be – considering he was sitting right next to her.

"Oh, really?" Allen said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you and I should get more acquainted over a dance. Shall we?" he said as he grabbed her hand off of her lap.

"No thank you," Geni said as in a flash as her other hand quickly grabbed him around his wrist, squeezing tight enough that his fingers involuntarily dropped her hand but not enough to cause much pain. She held on for a moment, saying, "I already have a date for tonight Allen. Have you met him yet?" Here she let go of his hand and gestured to Riku. "Allen, this is Riku Tamohara. Riku, this is Allen Schezar."

Allen quickly looked up, realizing his mistake while massaging his wrist slightly. "Hey, I'm sorry – I didn't know she was taken, honest," he said quickly as he backed away. He turned around hurriedly, and practically ran to the other side of the gym with his tail between his legs.

Geni watched after him for a moment quietly, before a sudden snort escaped her mouth. The dam broke, and she began giggling, then laughing out loud. She wasn't the only one – Kairi and Selphie had been watching with interest as well, and had tried to contain their mirth ever since Geni had death-gripped Allen's hand. Once he left, the two of them practically fell off the bleachers while laughing. "Oh, did you see his _face_?" Selphie chortled. "I _so_ wish I had a camera."

"I thought the guy was going to pee in his pants when you told him you were taken," Kairi laughed, wiping at her eyes.

"Well, there is _one_ way to fix that from happening again," Riku said as he stood up. "Shall we dance?" he asked Geni, holding a hand out to her.

Geni blushed a little, before gingerly taking his hand. "I would love to," she replied. She stood up and the two of them headed down to the dance floor.

"Come on Sora! Let's go!" Kairi said as she jumped up and pushed him forward, quickly followed by Selphie and Tidus. Wakka, on the other hand, stayed to converse with some of his fellow blitzball players.

Once on the dance floor, everyone literally let loose. Geni knew most of the songs, thanks to her friends, and even knew some of the traditional party dances that came up like the Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena, the Electric Slide, YMCA, and the Hokey Pokey. At one point she even surprised everyone when a brand new song called "Soulja Boy" came on; it had only been out for a week at most, but she danced along with it like she had choreographed it. The first hour or so of the dance was filled with fast paced songs, everyone dancing or singing out loud to them and having a lot of fun.

After the DJ played a song by Cascada, the beat suddenly slowed way down and a visible shift occurred on the dance floor. All of the students who were dancing with friends or by themselves suddenly left the dance floor, while couples raced to find a spot. Geni saw this, wondering what was going on. "Where is everyone going?" she asked Riku as she turned towards him.

"It's a slow song," he explained. "Everyone normally sees this type of song as a 'couples only' song," he added.

"Oh." Geni paused. "Oh!" she said, blushing in sudden understanding.

"We don't have to, if you don't want to," he said in a hurry.

"No! I mean, yes – I want to," Geni said quietly. She stepped towards Riku, her left hand held out. Riku grabbed it gently, and placed his hand on her back, while Geni placed her other hand on his waist. Considering the twelve-inch height difference, Geni felt a little silly; every other couple she could see in the immediate area was around the same height. As they began to sway to the music, Geni felt herself relaxing, losing herself to the song and to Riku. It was very calming (the song was "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden). The lights that still flashed from the DJ's table were more subtle, muted tones to match the mood.

"You're a great dancer," Riku whispered into her ear.

"So are you," she whispered back with a laugh. "This reminds me of the first time Sora came to the Disney Castle."

"Oh yes – I remember: the waltz," Riku chuckled. "That was certainly an interesting sight."

Geni looked up to Riku in confusion. "How did you see that? Were you there the entire time?"

Oops – Riku found himself trapped. "I, uh, found out from King Mickey who had heard from Queen Minnie. She said Sora was actually really good."

"Oh," Geni replied, her face losing the puzzled expression. Riku inwardly sighed – he knew that Geni knew that he had been watching over her, but he didn't want her to think he was stalking her at the time or something like that. In moments, the slow dance ended and a slightly faster beat took over. Geni and Riku pulled apart. "Let's go sit for a minute – it's getting really warm in here," she suggested.

"Alright. Do you want some punch or something?" Riku asked her as they exited the dance floor, heading towards the tables at the back of the gym.

"That sounds great," she said. The couple walked, hand in hand, as Riku showed Geni the drink fountain. It was the centerpiece of the largest table – several large bowls acted like a fountain and had holes running through to each layer that anyone could hold a cup under to get some of the tasty punch through. Riku grabbed two plastic cups, and handed one to Geni. He put his cup under one of the holes, and allowed it to fill his cup with punch. Geni imitated him, and exclaimed when her cup was full. "That is so cool! I'm going to have to tell Queen Minnie about this so we can get one for the castle!" she said exclaimed quietly.

"Glad you like it," Riku said with a laugh. "Come on, let's go find our seats and watch Sora and Tidus squirm."

"Sounds like fun to me," Geni said as she and Riku walked back towards their original seats. They sat out several songs, watching as Kairi and Selphie pulled Sora and Tidus all over the dance floor. Riku pointed out each song as it came on, Geni asking questions about each one like who wrote it, the style, instruments used, and so on. In fact, they hardly noticed that some of Leblanc's underlings were inching closer and closer to them until it was too late.

"So they use not only bass for the main beat but an electric acoustic guitar as well?" Geni asked Riku.

"Yeah – unlike a regular electric guitar, the electric acoustic guitar allows for the more mellow sound of an acoustic guitar to mix with the hard rock sound of an electric guitar, giving the song an interesting twist," he explained.

"Interesting. I might have to try that sometime." Geni brought her cup up to her mouth, suddenly realizing it was empty. "Oh! I'll be right back – I'm going to get some more punch. Do you want anything?" she asked Riku.

"No, I'm good. Do you want me to go with you?"

"Nah, I can handle a quick run. I'll be back in a minute." Geni stood up quickly, not seeing the girl with the full cup of punch directly in front of her. The girls arm collided with Geni's elbow, causing her to spill her punch all down the front of Geni's dress.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you!" the girl gushed, apologizing.

"No, that was my fault. I should have been looking where I was going," Geni said quickly.

"Oh, and such a pretty dress. Let me at least help you try and wash it out," the girl said.

"Thank you," Geni said appreciatively. Riku had stood up next to her, his eyes narrowed, thinking this was some ploy by Leblanc again to rattle Geni's nerves. However, seeing that it was truly an accident, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you want me to get Kairi or Selphie?" he asked her.

"No, I think we can handle it, um...?"

"Ormi."

"Ormi and I can probably get it washed out if we hurry. I'll be back as soon as we're done. Save the next slow dance for me?" she asked, smiling softly at him.

"Sure," Riku said as he watched the two girls walked carefully down the bleachers. Most of the punch had spilled onto Geni's skirt and not her top, so Riku assumed it was probably easier to clean. He was about to sit back down when he saw Sora waving at him from the dance floor. He carefully walked down the bleachers, avoiding the wet spot from the punch, and walked up to his friends.

"What happened?" Sora asked him right away. "Where did Geni and that girl go?"

"Geni accidentally got some punch spilled on her dress, and the two of them are going to wash it out."

"That's too bad," Kairi said. She had her arm entwined with Sora's, looking more like a bodily handcuff than an arm. "Well, let's go dance while we're waiting for them!"

"Sure, why not," Riku shrugged. The walked to the dance floor just as "Hero's Comeback" by Nobodyknows began to blare out of the speakers.

Geni and Ormi had gone into the girl's locker room which luckily had the nearest bathroom in it and were currently scrubbing away with water and some towels they had borrowed. "Oh, it's not coming out!" Ormi cried sadly.

"It will – it just needs a little elbow grease," Geni said encouragingly. The two worked on the dress for more than ten minutes, even adding some soap, until finally there was no more red and just the black silky fabric remained. On the other hand, Geni's skirt was completely soaked. "Why don't we use the wall dryers? That should take less time than towel drying it."

"Oh, good idea!" Ormi exclaimed. The girls walked over a bit and turned on two of the dryers, holding up Geni's skirt under them. "So, I saw you came with Riku," Ormi said shyly. "Have you two been dating long?"

"Well, not really, I suppose," Geni answered truthfully. "Maybe a month or two at most."

"He is really hot though, isn't he?"

"Hot?" Geni asked, not trying to show her lack of the teenage human language.

"Good looking, handsome, want to squeeze him senseless kind of hot, you know? I mean, there are plenty of girls who would die for the opportunity to go out with him."

"Really? I hadn't really noticed," Geni said quietly.

"Oh yeah. And not just those in the sophomore class. All the girls in the other three grades as well. But then he disappeared last year with your brother after that freaky storm we had." Ormi paused. "That was really weird too. The sky went black and purple – I've never seen a storm like that before. It seemed like it lasted a really long time too before everything went back to normal."

"I see," Geni said. _When Destiny Islands disappeared, did anyone here really know what was happening? I wonder what it feels like to disappear, and then reappear one year later._

"What was it like on the mainland? Did you see the storm at all?"

"Some of it," Geni lied. "So, did you come with anyone tonight?" she asked quickly to change the subject.

"Only some of my friends. My other friend, Logos, has ditched me and been chatting up with some girl named Leblanc all night." Ormi suddenly smacked her head. "Oh, that's right! I was supposed to ask you something for her."

"For Logos...or Leblanc?" Geni asked suspiciously.

"That Leblanc girl. You know, I heard about what happened yesterday. You were really lucky you didn't get hurt at all."

"Thanks. So what did Leblanc want to tell me?" Geni pressed.

"Well, she asked me to get her some punch – as if she couldn't do it herself – but then she suddenly asked me if I could go get you so you two could talk. I guess that's going to have to wait until your dress is dry though. I'm sorry – I'm a complete klutz most of the time."

Geni stiffened, thinking through the conversation. She suddenly stood up. "Thank you Ormi, I think that will do for my dress. I really have to get back to the dance."

"But it isn't completely dry yet! At least let me –"

"That's alright." Geni turned and gave her a smile as she walked out the door. "I think I've been away from the dance a little too long."

Back inside the gymnasium, Riku had to admit he was having fun. He, Sora, Tidus, and Wakka were taking turns inside of a dance ring that the students had set up, creating a circle of bodies. All of the guys took turns going in and out, showing off crazy or cool dance moves. Riku had only done it once, pretending that he was using his Keyblade. Right now he was watching Sora look silly, flopping like a fish on the floor.

As the song finished, the next slow dance came on over the speakers. Riku began walking towards the bleachers, remembering his promise to Geni. Then again...

"Riku!" He cringed at the loud voice. Turning he saw Leblanc striding up to him, her head held high. "This is our song Riku! Let's dance!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the middle of the crowded dance floor. Once there, she tried placing his hands around her as he tried to shake her off.

"Leblanc, don't embarrass yourself. You know I came here with Geni. I am not dancing with you."

"Oh, I think you will," she said in a mockingly sweet way. "You see, I have some questions to ask you. For starters, you could explain why you were on _other worlds_ during your absence from the islands."

Sora and Kairi had been dancing when Sora had seen Leblanc grab Riku and drag him to the middle of the dance floor. He motioned with his head to Kairi, and slowly as to not draw attention to themselves, they made their way over to them to eavesdrop.

Riku feigned a look of confusion, but inside he was seething. "What are you talking about Leblanc? Did someone slip you a spiked drink or something?" _Has she been spying on us?_

"Don't pretend to be dumb. I overheard your conversation with her. So, she used to live in a castle, did she? And what kind of organization did she belong to? Oh, and let's not forget about the things without hearts and a door made of light. Shall I go on or are you going to dance with me?" she hissed softly.

Riku sighed, and robotically began to dance with Leblanc. If this was the cost of keeping her quiet, he didn't want to know what they were going to have to do to keep her quiet permanently.

"That's better," Leblanc said with a huff. The danced quietly for a few minutes, Leblanc with a large smile on her face and Riku looking like he was sucking on a lemon. After a moment he saw Sora and Kairi dancing a few feet beyond them, giving him weird looks. He mouthed the words _she knows_ to Sora, and Sora narrowed his eyes. Just after that, when they had turned yet again, Leblanc saw Logos waving at her from the bleachers, pointing at the door. Leblanc nodded, and looked up at Riku. "I have a proposition for you."

"What is it?" he asked, suspicious.

"I won't tell anyone anything for the rest of my life, but in exchange you have to kiss me."

"What?!" Riku said through clenched teeth.

"Yes. Right now, on the dance floor, where everyone can see us. If you do, I won't tell anyone anything that I've overheard, and I'll leave your little girlfriend alone. Do we have a deal?"

"Do I have any choice?" Riku muttered under his breath. "One. On the cheek only."

"Fine with me," Leblanc said with a mischievous smile. Riku leaned down slowly, Leblanc's head turned away so he could plant one on the side of her face. On the other hand, Leblanc had other ideas. As soon as Riku was about to make contact, she suddenly shifted her head, making Riku kiss her full on the lips.

Geni in a purposeful stride quickly made her way back to the gymnasium. To her irritation, the teachers had to stop her to check for the stamp on her wrist, but within seconds she was pushing open the gym door. She took three steps before she froze mid-step. Out in the center of the dance floor under the swirling lights Riku and Leblanc were kissing, Leblanc's delicate hands framing Riku's pale face.


	14. The True Beginning

Chapter 13

Geni stood there, unable to think, unable to breath. She was jolted out of her shock by a hand on her shoulder, and instantly turned around and ran as fast as she could out of the gym and down the hallway, not knowing where she was going and not caring either. All she wanted to do was to erase the image that was frozen in her mind.

"Geni!" Riku had pushed himself away from Leblanc immediately after they had contact for less than a second. When he heard Sora's shout, he saw him and Kairi facing the gym doors behind him as a blur in black with brown hair shot out the door.

"But Riku –" Leblanc said as she tried to hold onto his arms.

"Stay away from me," he hissed as he turned and ran for the doors. As he ran through the doorway, he quickly looked around, seeing the teachers whispering amongst themselves. He happened to see Mrs. Kou sitting at the table, reading a book. "Mrs. Kou, did you see which way Geni ran?"

The gym teacher looked up from her book. "I did. And did you have anything to do with that, Mr. Tamohara?"

"I did, and it was a misunderstanding. I have to –"

"Mr. Tamohara," Mrs. Kou said in her no nonsense voice that means "listen-to-me-or-else." "Ms. Akeno just ran the fastest one hundred yard dash that I have every seen when she ran out of here. A girl doesn't do that because of a simple misunderstanding," she said, eyebrow raised.

"Just please tell me which way she went so I can explain everything to her, _please_," he begged her.

Mrs. Kou studied him for a moment before she smiled. "Well, you had better fix everything. She went that way," she said as she pointed down the main hallway.

"Thank you," Riku rushed as he turned and sprinted down the hall. The only bad thing was that even though Mrs. Kou had pointed him in the right direction, the main hall split three ways at the end of it: either out the front door, into the auditorium, or up to the second floor of the school. Riku tried the easiest door first – the auditorium was locked, so Geni definitely wasn't in there. Riku looked out the front doors and down the long sidewalk that led out to the main street – she couldn't be that far ahead of him, so Geni didn't leave the school either. _She wouldn't anyway – Mrs. Akeno expects to pick _all_ of us up after the dance. So upstairs it is then._

Riku dashed up the stairs to the main floor. Silence greeted him all around. No music or voices could be heard up here; no running footsteps either. Riku then thought out loud to himself: "If I was Geni, and I wanted to get away and be by myself, where would I go? The obvious choice is somewhere outside, but I didn't see her in front of school." Riku squeezed his eyes shut, before opening them and almost wanting to smack himself on the head. "Of course!" Riku ran down a side hallway and turned twice until he found himself in front of a small stairway. It was lit by several tiny lights in the ceiling, and he could see the bend up above him. Riku took the steps two at a time, and in no time at all he saw the sign he was looking for: the door at the very top of the stairs was slightly ajar, usually closed and locked by the janitorial staff. He slowly pushed the door open and stepped out onto the roof of the school, a light breeze blowing past him. He closed the door all the way, knowing he could unlock with his Keyblade when he went back in.

He looked around the dark roof, noting the large shapes that stood out in the darkness. A large metal fence ran around the perimeter of the school to keep out trouble makers. He scanned the fence in front and in his peripheral vision before walking around the side of the doorway which jutted up from the roof of the school. As soon as he did, he saw someone leaning against the chain link fence, a dark object but surrounded by the light coming up from the suburb below. Riku took several steps forward, walking slowly and trying not to make a lot of noise. He knew that Geni could probably sense him, and he already felt bad enough for what had happened. He stopped ten feet away from her when he noticed something odd.

Geni was leaning against the fence, her face lying against it and her fingers locked in the large holes. Tears were streaming down her face, but oddly enough for once she was completely silent. He could hear no crying, sobbing, or even heavy breathing coming from her. He could see her shoulders shaking against the light and by the light of the full moon, but that was the only small motion that let him know that she was even conscious.

"Geni?" he said quietly. Geni did not turn or even acknowledge him. "Geni, please, just listen to me. What you saw down in the gym, I can explain. Leblanc was trying to blackmail us because she overheard our conversation when we were talking about the other worlds yesterday. She said she wouldn't tell anyone anything if I danced with her and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. That was all it was until she suddenly turned her head and it, uh, well…it went in the wrong place. Please, it was a misunderstanding!" he pleaded with her. "I'm so sorry, just please say something!" he begged.

Riku was soon sorry he had said anything. Geni slowly leaned away from the fence, and withdrew her hands down to her sides. As she turned around, Riku saw her face illuminated by the lights below and by the moon above. Her cheeks were stained with a flood of tears, and her eyes possessed a sadness he had never seen before. Even her necklace, the thalassa shell one he had given her, lay still upon her neck. She faced him, silent and mute.

"Geni?" Riku asked quietly, hesitantly.

Geni suddenly walked up and stood in front of him, looking up into his face. "This isn't your fault Riku. I should have known better myself. This is just more proof that I don't really belong here." Riku started to speak in protest, but Geni quieted him by placing her hand over his mouth. "Please, Riku – you asked me to listen and I did. Now it's your turn." She took her hand down, and Riku stayed quiet. "What happened wasn't your fault _or_ my fault, and I understand that. It figures Leblanc would still try and do something after what happened yesterday. On the other hand, I've tried my hardest to fit in here, to be a normal human teenager, to do normal teenager things; but no matter what I do, I can't just leave behind who I am and where I've come from. Let's face it – I may have an enormous amount of knowledge about other worlds, magic and the elements, and things no one could ever even hope to imagine understanding. Yet how does all of that compare when I can't even relate to the people who are the same species and age as I am?" She paused, turning around. "You, Sora, Kairi, Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus have been wonderfully supportive. Showing me everything I would ever need to know to live her on the islands, and helping me adjust to a much more subdued life than I would be living if I were at the castle. In the end, the problem isn't with you or living here: it's with me and who _I_ am, right here, right now." Geni finished her monologue, silently staring at the distant ocean.

Riku stood in silence along with her, processing this. She wasn't angry with him; she just seemed disappointed in herself. And in some ways, she was right: because of her life away from the Destiny Islands and living on a world that had constant contact with other worlds, she never had to hide who she truly was from anyone before. But Riku still didn't want Geni to leave. He walked up behind her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning his head down on her. Geni laid a hand upon his arm, and the two of them watched the stars twinkle high above them.

"I don't want you to leave," he whispered softly in her ear.

"I know," she whispered back. "Riku…you asked me before if I was distancing myself from all of you. In a way, I suppose, I was. Even more so after I came back last week from the trip Queen Minnie and I were on. And because of that trip, I changed: not just physically, but in what direction my life might take."

"Changed how?" Riku asked.

"I don't know. But Riku – there is something that I have to tell you. Something that I've been meaning to tell you for a while now. I've tried to before, but…" she shrugged her shoulders. "Riku, I…"

_Whoosh!_ Riku leaned over Geni as a huge gust of wind blew from behind them and they heard rockets roaring towards the ocean. Geni held down her skirt as it blew around her legs, glad she had pinned her hair up for the evening.

"What was that?" Riku cried out once the wind had died down.

Geni, on the other hand, knew exactly what and who it was and what it indicated: her time was up. "A gummi ship," she said to no one in particular.

"The king?" Riku asked.

Geni paused. "Yes, and it seems that Donald and Goofy are with him. I wonder why they're here now? And so late?" she said as she faked her ignorance.

"I don't think they've come for a social visit," Riku said, completely serious. "We had better go get Sora and Kairi and go over to the island right away." He pulled away from Geni and turned around, heading for the door back into the school. Geni stayed for a moment longer, staring towards the horizon. "Coming?" Riku called, Keyblade in hand.

"I'm coming!" Geni called as she ran over to the door, just in time to see Riku use his Keyblade to open the lock and let them back in. The two raced down the steps to the second floor, around the hallways and down a flight of stairs to the first floor, and then all they way to the other side of the school. Mrs. Kou checked their stamps for them, smiling at both of them, before they entered back into the dance. It was getting late, and some of the students had already left. Riku quickly spotted their friends sitting on the bleachers, and grabbed Geni's hand to pull her in their general direction.

"I hope she's okay," Sora said to Kairi. "They've been gone a while now. Maybe we should go and find them."

"I'm sure Riku got across to Geni that it was all a mistake. You and I heard every word of that conversation, so we can even back him up if she is still angry at him."

"Well, she doesn't _look_ angry," Selphie commented. "Here they come." She pointed across the back of the gym where Riku and Geni were quickly making their way towards them.

Sora was about to ask them about earlier, but the expression on both of their faces halted his questions. "What's wrong?" he immediately asked, stepping down the bleachers to talk to them on the floor of the gym.

"King Mickey is here," Riku said quickly. Sora's eyes widened, and he looked at Geni. She would not meet his eyes, staring off past him.

"Where?" Sora immediately demanded.

"Back home – probably on the play island," Geni finally said.

"We should go and see what the matter is. I doubt he would come just to visit this late at night," Riku inferred.

"Let's go then." He turned to Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. "Sorry guys, but duty calls."

"Then we're coming with you!" Tidus said, jumping to his feet.

"Ya brother. Don't hog the fun for yourselves!" Wakka added, following his friend's example.

"But guys –" Sora began before Kairi interrupted him.

"Sora, they're the only ones who know what really happened. If something is wrong, they should be the first to know," she said gently.

"I suppose you're right," he replied.

"Well, then let's go. Let's use some instant transportation," Geni said. She turned and walked towards the gym doors. The rest of her friends quickly followed her out. After notifying the teachers they were going home, Geni lead them down the main hallway, turning off onto a smaller hallway that was dark and where she couldn't sense anyone around them. "Alright. The only rule is that everyone has to hold hands so you won't get lost."

Geni turned to a flat expanse of wall devoid of lockers, and began tracing her finger in a complex arch all the while chanting a spell under her breath. She began at the bottom of the wall and began making her way up to just above her head.

"What's she doing?" Selphie asked Kairi.

"Some kind of portal, I think," Kairi answered. "I've only traveled in the dark portals, so I don't really know." Just then Geni reached the other side of her arch, and once finished it blazed into life, lines and runes lit with a strange glow. The center of the arch looked hollow, and from straight on looked like a cave with swirls of light inside.

"Here we go. Everyone grab and hand and whatever you do, _don't let go_. Got it?" Geni asked them all as she grabbed Sora's hand. Sora grabbed Kairi, Kairi grabbed Riku, Riku grabbed Tidus, Tidus grabbed Selphie, and Selphie grabbed Wakka who brought up the rear.

"Got it!" they all chorused.

"Good. Here we go." Geni stepped through the glowing archway and began walking down what seemed to be a long corridor made of pure light. Once Wakka entered, he turned around and saw that the opening closed right up behind him. As it was in the void between the portal in Twilight Town and the portal in The World That Never Was, there was no floor, no ceiling, no walls around them as far as the teens could see. The entire corridor they walked in seemed to go on in every direction eternally. Thankfully, Geni walked only seventy feet or so before they saw another opening in front of them.

"That swirling is starting to make me nauseous," Tidus whispered to Riku.

"Well, there's the exit…I think," Riku said in a hopeful voice.

"It is," Geni called back. "Once out we'll be on the beach on the play island. Keep together until all of us are out." And even as she warned them, she herself was stepping out onto a sandy beach. The island was quiet and peaceful; no sign of any off world activity having penetrated the serenity the island was exuding. "We're here," Geni said as she let go of Sora's hand. She turned around, and watched as one by one here friends stepped out of the portal and onto the darkened beach.

Wakka was the last to step through, and as he did Geni walked up to the portal and waved her hand over it, stopping in the middle of it with the flat of her palm facing it. The light seemed to draw itself together and float back into Geni's hand, caressing it as it swirled into her skin. "You have got to teach me how to do that, ya," Wakka said in awe as he watched her.

Geni laughed softly. "Maybe some other time Wakka." She turned around, seeming to search for something in the darkness. "They landed on the other side of the island." She started walking towards the door between the beaches, Sora jumping into step next to her.

"Are you alright?" Sora asked her quietly. "I mean, with what happened earlier? You know, none of it was really Riku's fault – Kairi and I saw and heard the entire thing."

Geni sighed. "Yeah – we already talked about it. I knew it wasn't his fault, but even so I felt a tiny bit betrayed." She fell silent.

"So this is it?" Sora suddenly asked, eyes watching her in the darkness.

"Yes," Geni whispered.

"Did you tell him?"

"…I didn't get a chance to."

"What!" Sora said incredulously. "You said you would do it before this happened!"

"I know, I know! But there isn't any time left Sora. Everything is out of my hands now. From now on, I can't help you make any of your decisions; whatever paths any of you take are completely up to you, and only your current knowledge can assist you."

"So whatever King Mickey came here for is pretty serious, isn't it?" he murmured.

Geni nodded. They had reached the side door between the beaches and walked through quickly. "I am not sure of all the details myself, but whatever the task King Mickey needs you for is something that will affect all the worlds."

Riku watched Sora and Geni talk quietly in front of him, wondering what they could be discussing. He knew Sora was probably worried about what had happened with Leblanc, and was asking her about her sudden disappearance. However, both seemed to be agitated about something, and Riku guessed it was not just about before but about King Mickey's sudden visit as well. Did they know something that they hadn't told him? _No, that couldn't be it. Sora and Geni know if anything was happening that concerned the fate of the worlds' Kairi and I would both have to know about it as well. I mean, the three of us are all Keyblade wielder's besides King Mickey._

As the group crested the rise of the wooden platforms, the Kingdom gummi ship came into view, its exterior lights illuminating the area around it. Steam was venting from underneath and in the back where the primary rockets were located, making the area around it look eerily hazy. The gangplank was down, and several seats could be seen inside. However, neither the King, Donald, nor Goofy were visible from their vantage point. "I don't see them," Sora said quietly to the group as they stood above the steaming ship.

"Maybe they're in the cockpit," Riku suggested.

"No," Geni immediately said. "Donald is in the cockpit, and Goofy and King Mickey are coming up from the hold right now." Movement could immediately be seen around the doorway, and a small figure and a larger one suddenly came into view as they stood in the doorway. "There they are now."

"Whoa," Tidus said. "Now that's handy."

"They're probably thinking they'll come find us at home, so we had better go and see them before they start looking all over the place for us," Kairi suggested.

"Good idea," Riku said. The seven teens quickly walked down the rest of the platforms and down the sandy hill until they were quickly approaching the gummi ship. Once within the bright circling of light around the ship, their many footfalls were finally heard by the people within. A face with a large nose stuck his head out of the ship's door.

"Hey fellers! King Mickey, they're already here!" he called, facing into the ship.

"Really?" a tiny voice called. Suddenly the small form of King Mickey came into sight in the doorway. "Well hello everybody! Come on in! This makes things much easier!" The teens walked up the gangplank and into the brightly lit ship. Geni stopped to give Goofy and King Mickey both hugs, which were returned with earnest.

"How has school been?" Goofy asked her as she let him go. "It sure has been quiet at the castle without you."

"Interesting, to say the least," she laughed. "And I'm sure the castle is as busy as ever."

"Whelp, everyone still misses you – especially Minnie and Daisy," King Mickey said. "Now, I'm sure you're all surprised to see us – we're sorry for the late night visit, but this couldn't wait, unfortunately. Please, have a seat everyone." King Mickey gestured to the bench sits in the back of the ship which surrounded a small table bolted to the floor. Within moments, all seven teens were seated and looking at the tiny king expectantly.

"So, what's the matter, Your Majesty?" Tidus asked.

"Well, after our problems with the false Ansem and the Organization, I assumed that our only problems would be the occasional Heartless and Nobodies. I thought that the need for the Keyblades would dwindle, and eventually fade back until the day they would be needed again. However, it has comes to our attention that there are more individuals who can wield the Keyblade besides myself, Sora, Riku, and Kairi."

"Really? How many?" Sora asked.

"Whelp, we don't know. It first started several months ago, that several of my people had business on other worlds, and while there began hearing stories of persons defeating Heartless and Nobodies. As time went on, reports began coming in from almost every world that we have contact with, and from worlds where we visit in secret because they have not had their first contact yet with other worlds. These persons are secretly continuing the work we have started, yet are keeping their identity secret. However, one fact has remained the same: every individual can and does use the Keyblade, from eyewitness accounts."

"So who are they?" Riku asked.

"I honestly don't know," King Mickey said with a shrug. "However, this news of more Keybearers brings good and bad news."

"I don't understand," Kairi interrupted. "Aren't Keyblades good?"

"They are, for the most part," the king said. "However, we know now that the Keyblades can be divided into what power they use: either the light or the darkness."

"Like Riku and I," Sora murmured.

"Exactly. While Sora implements a Keyblade of the light, Riku's Keyblade utilizes the darkness. At first, when I had only assumed there were four total users of the Keyblade, three of the user's used light while one used darkness – an even exchange, considering the light's dominance in the universe. However, with the appearance of the other Keyblade users, I began to worry that the worlds' might not be completely safe yet."

"Is there another faction trying to seek the power of Kingdom Hearts?" Sora asked immediately.

"No," King Mickey drawled out. "But with more Keyblades being used, our current era is now beginning to rival that of the time before the great Keyblade War."

"Keyblade…_war_?" Sora said incredulously.

"Yes. A war that pitted the users of darkness against the users of light and almost destroyed the known universe. It was after this that the worlds first separated themselves, from the information we have from that time. Also, it was then that the Keyblades disappeared, and have only appeared several more times in history up until now. However, what now concerns us is a legend that was written shortly after the war ended. It was a legend about the Keyblades of light and darkness, of life and death."

"So what does this have to do with us?" Riku asked warily.

"We've finally found that legend." Mickey turned around. "Donald?"

"Coming, Your Majesty," he warbled from the cockpit. Donald suddenly appeared coming down the aisle between the seats, a tube in his hand. He stopped next to King Mickey, and unscrewed the top of the tube and carefully slid of a rolled up piece of parchment out of the tube and handed it to the mouse.

"This is it," Mickey said as he carefully unrolled it and placed it on the table for everyone to see. Everyone crowded around the paper, except for one who was not as excited as the others.

The parchment was old and yellowed, and in places was a little torn. Considering its age, the paper was well preserved. The bottom of the paper was quite jagged, however, as if a portion had been torn off. There was plenty of writing on the front; none of the teens save one had ever seen it before, so most could not immediately read it.

"What does it say?" asked Selphie as she scanned the text.

"It took some time, and some research into the oldest books and documents we have, but we've managed to translate most of it. There are a few words and phrases that were difficult, since they had several meanings, but here is the basic translation." King Mickey cleared his throat before beginning:

_Light and darkness, life and death. These attributes combine to form the essence of the Keyblade, the tool by which we are sworn to protect the worlds'. These attributes are also the causes by which we have almost destroyed the worlds'. Each side swore to bring peace, yet all we brought in that effort is destruction. And so, the Keyblade War was fought across the universe, physically outside of and inside of the heart. Those few who sought to end the war knew that only one path could eliminate all strife: to __do away with__ the Keyblade and the need for its use._

_In the end those few were successful, but the consequences were great. In order to abolish the need for the Keyblade, two events had to occur: the creatures from the deep darkness must be sealed away, and the worlds separated. Four of the greatest wielders of the time sacrificed themselves for this task; they used the power of their life-force, of their hearts, and of their Keyblades to __forever__ seal the creatures of darkness behind the __Great Door__, and to destroy all the __bridges__ between the worlds so that each world would remain unaware of the others, no matter how close they were. Their names were lost, along with the memories._

_However, before this great sacrifice, a vision was had by one of the four. This is her vision, written word for word as she spoke it – for if this vision one day comes to pass, it will truly mean the __destruction__ of the universe._

_'Many years from now, four like ourselves will come forth to battle the deep darkness, which will have escaped with the help of one who seeks their dark power. They will once again walk the old __paths__, bridging the worlds to once again join as one. Also, like ourselves, these four will control the most elemental powers of the Keyblade: a Keyblade of light, a Keyblade of darkness, a Keyblade of life, and a Keyblade of death. Two will control powers of light, while two will control powers of the darkness. They will work together to save the worlds from great perils; to save the ones connected to the hearts of all things, to keep the ones without hearts from entering the realm with hearts. For a time, there will be true peace once again among all worlds as they connect to one another once more._

_Nevertheless…one of the wielders will be used to the other three, and in doing so begin to break the fragile bonds they had forged together one by one. The four will quickly break apart; distrust, anger, and betrayal a wall between them. This wielder of the Keyblade will control part of the power over the darkness, but unlike their dark __counterpart__ this wielder ­­­ contains the power to __unleash__ the deepest darkness that the universe has ever witnessed. This power, once accessed and utilized, will __consume__ the wielder in a fiery storm of shadowy power and spread across the universe, swallowing everything in its path, leaving an empty void for all eternity.'_

"And that's it," King Mickey sighed. "As I said, we could not translate some of the words, and our translation may not be completely correct either." (The underlined words or blank spots within the text for reader's reference).

"I can see why you would want to search for this right away," Riku said thoughtfully. "All the references to us are there: the seeker of darkness, Ansem; the Princesses of Heart and Organization XIII."

"And the light and darkness too," Sora added. "But, do the four of us really make up this prophecy? I mean, I thought that only Riku had a Keyblade of darkness. Which one of us would be the other one?"

"I don't know Sora. I don't even know if the four of us do make up this prophecy, which is why we need to head straight to the source of the mystery of these new wielders appearing all over. Also, there is the problem of the Keyblade wielder that has the power of the ultimate darkness, the darkness that can overrun the worlds and plunge the universe into eternal darkness. And there is only one place in the entire universe that I now know of that can help us with that."

"Where's that?" Sora asked excitedly.

"The Realm of the Keepers." Everyone in the ship was silent, digesting this new information. Sora, Riku, and Kairi had mixed feelings running all over their faces, while Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka peered over the parchment more intensely, hoping the true meaning of the words would pop off of the page at them. Geni, however, leaned back against the cold metal wall of the gummi ship, staring off into space.

"So what's our plan of action?" Sora finally asked King Mickey after a few silent minutes. "Do we head for this 'Realm of the Keepers' and ask them about it?"

King Mickey nodded. "Yes. However, the only way to get there – at least as far as my research has shown – is through a dimensional portal near Twilight Town. It is the same as when we traveled to The World That Never Was."

"When do we leave?" Riku asked bluntly. Geni looked down at her hands, twiddling her fingers.

"As soon as you possibly can. The sooner we get there, the better. How long will it take for all of you to prepare?"

"Less than a half an hour, maybe an hour at most depending on how our parents take it," Riku said with a wince.

"We can help explain what's going on," Tidus offered.

"Thanks. But hey, at least it's the weekend, right? Maybe we'll even be back before school starts on Monday," Kairi said hopefully.

"Tuesday," Geni said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. "They said on the announcements that the teachers have an in-service day, or whatever it's called, on Monday so we don't have any school," she explained in a steady voice.

"Even better then," King Mickey said. "We'll hop over to the beach on the main island in the gummi ship, which should make it easier to persuade your parents if need be. Donald?"

"On it!" Donald walked over and pressed a large button next to the open hatch, and with a grind it slowly came up and latched shut. Walking quickly back to the cockpit, everyone inside felt the small engines flare to life and lift them not too high above the ground. "We'll be on the ground again in less than two minutes," Donald called as the gummi lurched forward.

"Alright. You three hurry up and go get what you might need, and maybe a change of clothes." King Mickey stopped and blinked, finally realizing what kind of clothes the teens had on. "Did I, interrupt something important?" he asked, slightly embarrassed.

"We just had a dance at the school," Selphie said simply. "We came right from there when Geni and Riku saw your gummi ship fly overhead."

"I see," King Mickey said. He looked discreetly over at his foster daughter, finally noticing the nice dress she was wearing, but also that she was a little sad. _I think it's best if we have a private chat before we leave_, he thought to himself.

_Thump_. "We're here!" Donald called from the cockpit, also as the engines died down once again. "I'm leaving the exterior lights off this time, King Mickey."

"Good idea Donald. Alright, off you three go. I expect you here in less than one hour."

"Yes King Mickey," Kairi, Sora, and Riku replied. Goofy walked over and pressed the large button once more, allowing the door to open and the gangplank to descend. The three teens without a second thought quickly jogged across the beach and towards their respective homes. "As for you three, you may go home or stay here to see them off. It is up to you."

"I think we had better go and check in with our parents, ya," Wakka suggested. "They might be wondering why we aren't at the dance yet."

"You're right," Selphie said, looking at her watch. "The dance is almost over now, so we're technically home early." She stood up and walked over to the door, quickly followed by Tidus and Wakka.

"Hey, Geni – you coming, ya?" Wakka asked, turning around.

"I will in a minute Wakka," Geni said, giving her best try at a smile.

"Alright. We'll be back soon," he promised as he stepped down the gangplank and ran up to join Selphie and Tidus.

King Mickey took his time and carefully rolled up the parchment and placed it back into its protective tube before he walked over and hopped onto the bench next to Geni. "Are you alright with all of this?" he asked her after a moment.

"I have to be. The worlds are calling to the Keybearers, and it is all of your duties to respond to that call," she said quietly. "This time, I can't run off and help you. This is your duty, not mine."

"You know, I was always surprised by that," King Mickey admitted.

"Surprised by what?" Geni asked, turning to face him.

"That you were never chosen to wield a Keyblade. Out of everyone I've ever met, you're probably the most qualified."

Geni was silent at this remark. She quickly moved on, neither confirming nor refuting his statement. "Even so, I can't help but feel helpless, like before when you left on your first journey. I want to help in the worst way, but there is no way I can."

"Actually, you've helped me more than you know."

"How so?"

"Most of the books I used to translate that document came from your personal library. I guess collecting those random books all these years really paid off in the end," King Mickey said with a laugh.

"Yeah, random," Geni said with a slightly forced laugh. She turned her head away, looking out into the darkness outside of the ship.

"You really do care about him, don't you?" King Mickey said gently.

"Of course I do – he's my brother," Geni said defensively.

"Geni," King Mickey sighed in annoyance. "I meant _Riku_. Selphie said you two had been alone earlier when we flew by. Is there something I should know about the both of you?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"We're just really good friends King Mickey, that's all," Geni said quickly. "We just happen to have very similar pasts and connect easily."

"I see," King Mickey replied. "Well then, I guess you have no problems with him leaving all of a sudden like this?"

"I have a problem with all three of them leaving, and the fact that the worlds and the Keyblades never give them a chance to rest. You too," she added sharply. "It's always something, isn't it?" she said bitterly.

King Mickey was astonished at the sudden change in her voice. _Is she really that jealous over the cards fate has dealt her?_ "Not always. And you've known that – that was one of the conditions to you coming to live at the castle – that at any time any one of us could be called to aid another world."

"I know, I know," Geni sighed. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Ah, we won't be gone that long," Goofy drawled as he came to sit next to her. "Besides, how do you think Donald and I feel? Letting them have all the fun," he said with a wink.

"And the fame that goes with it!" Donald shouted from the cockpit.

Geni smiled as she tried to stifle a laugh. "Okay, enough – I'll stop moping. Just, be careful, all of you. I mean it. If you don't all come back in one piece your hides are _mine_," she said mock threateningly.

"Yes ma'am," the three of them said simultaneously.

A little over thirty minutes later, a small crowd stood outside of the gummi ship. Sora, Kairi, and Riku's parents had all come unwillingly to see their children off as they journeyed to places unknown – not at all happy about it even with King Mickey supervising them. Even with him explaining the situation, they knew they had to let their children go but still held on tight until it was time for them to finally board the gummi ship.

"Be careful Sora," his mother advised him.

"I will be Mom," he said as he gave her a hug.

"And no talking to strangers," his dad said.

"What? Am I four again?" Sora huffed.

"Physically, no. Mentally, almost," Geni said with a laugh.

Sora looked at her for a moment, remembering their conversations about this day. "So, everything's going to change now, isn't it?" he said to her.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," she replied. Their parents looked at their children, trying to guess at what mystery they were discussing. "Just be careful, alright?"

"I will." Sora leaned in and the two embraced tightly. "You won't leave until I get back, right?" he quickly whispered into her ear.

"You'll find out sooner than you think," she whispered back as she pushed herself out of his hug. Sora looked at her in confusion.

"Time to go!" King Mickey called from the door to the ship. Sora gave his family one last group hug before he dashed to the ship, a backpack full of supplies on his back. Geni walked forward to wish her foster family goodbye, and as she finished she felt a gaze upon her back.

"Geni," Riku said. Geni turned around, staring up into his face. "We never finished that talk up on the roof, did we?"

"No, we didn't…"

"What did you have to tell me?" Riku asked.

"I guess it doesn't matter anymore," Geni said with a sad smile. "Just…be careful while your there, alright?"

"I'll try to be," Riku answered truthfully. He stepped forward and embraced her tightly. Geni hugged him back just as tight.

"Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"There is something that I want you to know before you leave." Geni leaned up on her tippy toes. Even so, Riku had to lean down a little for her so she could whisper into his ear. "Actions always speak louder than words," she whispered. As she pulled away, she looked away as not to meet Riku's confused eyes. "Be safe."

"I will," Riku said, wondering over her speech.

"Riku! Come on! Time to go!" Sora called from the gummi ship.

"Coming!" he called. He looked down at Geni, wanting to ask her about the sudden rush of deep thoughts coming from her. "I'll be back before you know it," he promised her. Geni nodded, unable to trust her voice. Riku placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, before he went to join his friends inside the gummi ship. Geni stood still, her arms at her sides, until she heard the familiar squeaking of the hatch door and the primary rockets firing up. She turned, and saw her brother and friends waving at her before the secondary rockets ignited and they took off into the dark night sky.

One by one, everyone walked by to their respective homes until Geni was one of the last, still staring up into the sky. The only other person on the beach was Selphie, who had stood with Geni after her parents had finally gone home. "You think they'll be alright?" Selphie asked in a quiet voice.

"I hope so," Geni answered. A soft breeze suddenly picked up, blowing the girl's hair off of their faces.

"Hey, what's that?" Selphie asked, pointing. Geni looked to her left, and saw a small ball of light hovering over the sand.

"The beginning," Geni said. She walked over in front of the glowing ball, and stretched out her fingers.

"Wait! Maybe we shouldn't touch it!" Selphie cried, pulling Geni's arm back. "And what do you mean, 'the beginning?'" she demanded.

Geni turned to Selphie, smiling. "I have to go Selphie. It's my fault Sora, Kairi, and Riku had to leave. And now I am being summoned to that same destination. Destiny has a funny sense of irony, don't you think?"

"Then I'll go with you!" Selphie cried.

"Thank you Selphie, but you can't," Geni said gently, grabbing Selphie's hand and detaching herself from her arm. "And besides, someone has to tell the Akeno's I'm leaving. And in the end…you may not even remember, so you won't have anything to feel bad about," she said with a sad smile. Turning around, Geni touched the sphere of light. It flashed brightly, and in its place stood a doorway made of bright, white light. "Tell them I'm sorry, okay Selphie?" Geni asked her friend.

"Are you sure?" Selphie asked softly. "Is this truly what you _want_ to do, or what you _have_ to do?"

"A little of both, I guess," Geni said as the two girls stared into the doorway. It was almost as if they were gazing upon the surface of the ocean, the way the light moved and swayed in small waves. "Please don't worry about me Selphie. I'll make sure that Sora, Riku, and Kairi get back safely."

"And you as well," Selphie demanded, encircling one of her best friends in a tight embrace.

"I'll try," Geni laughed as she hugged Selphie back. "I have to hurry so I'll make it there before they do." Geni gently extricated herself from Selphie, noting the girl's sad expression. "Aw, come on Selphie. They'll only be gone a few days at most. I can assure you that they will be back before school starts on Tuesday."

"Promise?" Selphie asked.

"I promise. And if I break that, you can have anything you want out of my entire wardrobe."

Selphie squealed. "Then you had better keep it! You won't have any clothes left by the time I'm done."

"Well, there you go then. See you soon Selphie," Geni said as she walked towards the door of light.

"Come back soon," Selphie called, waving. Geni waved back, a dark figure in front of the blinding radiance. Once she was through the threshold of the portal, it immediately blinked out of existence, leaving only tiny shimmers of light as proof it had actually stood there. "Just come back," Selphie whispered as she stood alone in silence on the beach, the waves lapping softly against the sand.


	15. Enter The Realm

Chapter 14

The gummi ship raced through the darkness of space, occasionally flying past brightly colored worlds, and avoiding the few Heartless actually left in the conduits between the worlds. Donald and Goofy sat up in the cockpit, adjusting their course as needed. King Mickey, Kairi, Sora, and Riku sat in the chairs just behind them, discussing important matters about their new journey.

"So the dimensional portal is here," he said as he poked his finger on a large map spread between them. "This portal is just behind Twilight Town, and shouldn't be too hard to find due to the special fluctuations it causes. The only problem I can foresee is that it is quite small, and we might have trouble fitting through it."

"We could always stop in Twilight Town and take off some of the extra cannons, armor, or wings. Not all of them are required – most of them were for extra fire power and maneuvering when we first came through the conduits," Sora said thoughtfully.

"Exactly what I was thinking," King Mickey confirmed. "Now, going in is the easy part. After that, we're flying blind. As far as I know, no one has visited or come from this realm in many years. The worst possible scenario is that when we arrive there isn't anyone left."

"On the other hand, if there are people there, won't we be treated like enemies, invading their world?" Riku mused. "I mean, has this world had outside contact before?"

King Mickey shrugged. "This world is barely known because it only existed in the oldest of texts, and even then the references to it were vague. The only fact that kept repeating over and over is their name: the Keepers."

"Keepers of what though?" Kairi asked.

"Again, we don't know. But since this world has been around for the longest time, and considering the books I used were hundreds of years old if not older, they should have the most information regarding the Keyblade War and the events before and after it, and what happened with the Keyblades and the Keybearers."

The four fell silent, digesting the questions. Their discussion brought up more questions than answers. Goofy's voice cracked through the silence from the front of the gummi. "Your majesty! We're here at Twilight Town!"

"Good!" King Mickey said, turning his seat around to look out the front windows. Twilight Town suddenly loomed into view in front of them, the sleepy little city where the sun never set and the moon never rose. "The portal lies behind the town somewhere," he said. "We'll head in that general direction – everyone, keep your eyes and senses open for anything unusual."

Donald eased the gummi ship forward slowly, soon enough passing by Twilight Town and heading back out towards the blackness of space. Nothing could be seen except for the twinkling stars in the distance, no matter how hard Sora craned his next to look out the small port window next to him. "I can't see anything," he said.

"Keep looking," Riku said. "It has to be around here somewhere." Riku used his eyes and his senses to hone in on any unfamiliar energy signatures or strange singularities. He knew there was something there, but he couldn't pinpoint an exact location.

"Over there!" Kairi suddenly cried out. Everyone turned to swivel their head in her general direction where she was pointing out of her own tiny window. A circular shape floated less than five hundred yards away from them, glowing with a strange light. The surface of the portal shimmered in constant movement, like the surface of the ocean back on the islands. "Is that it?" she asked King Mickey.

"That must be it!" he said positively. He looked forward at some of the instruments on the dashboard. Numbers were scrolling across a screen, several needles were flipping back and forth, and numerous lights blinked on and off rapidly. "These readings indicate that the portal over there is consisted entirely of magic, and it seems to pulse every so often and gets smaller." Just then, as everyone was watching, the portal disappeared.

"Where'd it go?" Goofy asked, scratching his head.

"Over there!" Sora shouted, pointing out a window opposite of him. The dimensional portal had reappeared once again, but bigger than the last time. King Mickey watched the readings and the portal carefully.

"Should we try going in, your majesty?" Donald asked him.

"Not yet," King Mickey said, waving his hand at him as he peered closely at the screen. And, once again, in moments the portal disappeared again. "That's it!" King Mickey said triumphantly.

"What's it?" Sora asked.

"The portal appears for only a minute, and pulses several times during then. Every time the portal pulses, it shrinks in size. The last pulse closes the portal, and then it reopens at a different random location in this area. And from the immediate size of the portal when it first appears, it seems we have the length of two pulses to get through it before the ship is too big to fit through."

"How long are two pulses?" Donald asked warily.

"Hmm...I would say we have about twenty seconds, maybe thirty at most. That should be more than enough time."

"One problem," Riku pointed out from his seat next to King Mickey. Everyone turned to look at him. "If the portal appears randomly, then it might take the majority of those seconds to reach the portal and go through it. We may end up racing there, trying to squeeze ourselves through it, and in the end split ourselves in two."

Sora winced, a bad mental image quickly drawn in his mind. "Alright, so what do you suggest we do then?" he asked.

"Wait here and see if there is a pattern to how the portal appears."

"Whelp, sounds like a good idea to me," King Mickey said. "Alright, everybody watch. We'll go for ten portals, and then compare data. Start watching!" And so they did. For the next ten minutes there was complete silence in the cockpit as everyone took note of where, when, how close, or how far away the portals appeared to the gummi ship. No one wanted Riku's prediction to come true.

"Alright," King Mickey said after a while. "What have we got? I counted that the portals appeared on opposite sides of us every time, and usually at a pretty far distance."

"It seems that the distance is like that as well. Closer to us, then farther away, and then back even closer to us," Sora stated.

"Every fourth time the portal appears, it is the closest to us," Kairi added.

"Good! Anybody else?" King Mickey asked.

"Nope!" Donald and Goofy chimed in. Donald had been busy keeping the engines stable while they hovered in space, while Goofy had been playing Solitaire on the screen in front of him – neither helping out much.

"Alright. So we stay here and watch for the next closest portal and which side it is going to be on."

"The portal's on our left right now," Kairi said, pointing. "And it's about medium distance from the farthest that I've seen it."

"Alright, pay attention to that. Donald, get the rockets ready to go at a moment's notice. We only have one shot everybody, so buckle up and hang on tight. Once we're through, we have no idea as to what is going to happen."

Sora quickly buckled himself in tightly, and then looked around to make sure Riku and Kairi had as well. Looking back, he saw two empty seats, their straps hanging loosely around the bottoms of the seats. He suddenly felt very lonely, feeling that there should have been one more person along for the ride.

"There it is Donald! Full speed ahead!" King Mickey suddenly shouted. The teens were pushed back into their seats as Donald raced forward and to their right towards the brightly shining portal. As the closed in upon it, the portal pulsed once and shrank considerably.

"Faster Donald!" Goofy cried, covering his eyes with his hands while peeking through his fingers.

"You try driving this sometime," Donald said through a clenched beak as he fought to stay on course, aiming for the center of the portal.

Sora could feel his entire body making a permanent indentation in the seat as he saw them coming closer and closer to the entrance of the portal. Suddenly, he felt something brush against his left hand. Looking over, he saw Kairi – her left hand clenched to the seat – but her right hand hanging loose in the space between them. He gently reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it for reassurance. Kairi turned her head to look at him, smiling in relief.

"Here we go!" King Mickey shouted as the gummi ship raced through the portal as it pulsed and shrunk once more. A loud groaning noise was heard, followed by a deafening_ snap!_ One of the rear stabilizing wings had gotten caught in the portal's outside ring and when it pulsed, it came down and snapped off part of it. Donald gripped the controls, trying to keep the gummi ship on its correct course. Within moments, the stars that had been around them began to elongate into streams of light flying past them, shooting faster and faster until they became a constant blur all around them.

"Why...are we...going faster?" Sora forced out as he felt his body becoming liquefied.

"Don't know...Sora," King Mickey replied. "Just...hang in there...everybody."

For what seemed like an eternity, the gummi ship sped through the inter-dimensional corridor, speeding up to what seemed faster than light velocity. The lights around them began to change from a bright white and slowly began to rotate through the entire color spectrum, illuminating the ship in a strange rainbow. After several rotations, a solid circle of white light could be seen in front of them, coming closer with every second.

"There's...the exit!" Goofy shouted, sounding quite relieved. Sora braced himself against his seat, hanging tightly onto Kairi's hand. He could see Riku and the king in front of him, the poor tiny mouse bouncing all over his own seat. As the ship approached the light, it became brighter and brighter until Sora had to close his eyes against the radiance. Even so, it penetrated his eyelids making him unable to see anything else.

Then...nothing. The gummi ship instantaneously slowed to its original speed, and the light disappeared. The gummi ship still was experiencing turbulence due to the missing wing, but Donald seemed to have it somewhat under control. Sora gently pried his eyes open, spots flashing across his vision. When he could see out the windows, he gasped in astonishment.

"Look!" he shouted. All six of the passengers scrambled to find a vantage point to look outside of the ship, because below them was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen.

A vast city sprawled for miles and miles below them, shining against the bright sun radiating above it. Almost every building was built out of some kind of light brown stone, which sparkled like gemstones when the sunlight bounced off of it. There were tall buildings, short buildings, extremely long buildings; in some places there looked to be substantial outdoor markets, giant expanses of green parks with small lakes in the middle of them. And even in the distance they could see several enormous and exquisite buildings near an incredibly large dome – one of the only buildings with glass covering it.

The most amazing aspect, however, is that everywhere the strangers looked there were waterways and canals crisscrossing in between the buildings. Small and sizeable ships alike were seen traveling up and down them like cars on a road. Occasionally, a large ringed waterway could be seen from above, splitting the city into different sections. And on these waterways and in between the buildings was an ever moving mass, denoting the incredible size of the population in the city below them.

Even more fantastic was the amount of lush vegetation that covered everything. Trees of all shapes, sizes, and colors could be seen everywhere, and where it looked like houses, apartments, and such there were small green spaces like backyards or courtyards around or in them.

"Wow," Kairi breathed softly. "It's so beautiful."

"Well, we know they're still here," Sora said, if a little redundantly.

Riku, however, was having a small problem with the scenery below him. He had an intense feeling of déjà vu, especially when he gazed towards the dome. _Have I been here before? Or seen a picture of this place somewhere else? It feels so familiar…_

Suddenly, the gummi ship gave a tiny lurch before changing course and heading towards the large buildings in the center of the city. "Where are you going Donald?" King Mickey asked.

"It's not me!" he quacked, moving the controls around. "Something or someone is pulling us somewhere."

"A tractor beam?" Riku mused.

"What, like in science fiction?" Sora asked, suddenly interested.

"Maybe. Either way, it looks like we'll be talking to someone at least," he replied. As he said this, the gummi ship was slowing down and circling a large flat expanse near the gigantic dome. The rockets slowed and the reverse engines kicked in to allow for a soft landing, putting the gummi ship down with a soft _thump_. The door immediately began to open and the gangplank descended, without any help from any of the occupants inside of the ship. Sora and Riku quickly flanked the door, an unspoken agreement that both of their Keyblades would be at the ready. A metallic _thunk_ told them the gangplank had fully lowered, and both stuck their heads out slightly into the bright sunshine.

"Welcome. Please, come out of your ship," a female voice called. A young girl, looking to be in her early twenties with short brown hair waited with clasped hands not too far from the ship. She was wearing tan clothes, the pants billowy but bunched at the ankle. She wore plain sandals on her feet, and an over skirt with sections in her front and back only which reached down to her knees. She was wearing a tank top of the same color, but a wide band of pale green was wrapped around her upper body like a scarf, covering from her upper arms to her middle like a poncho. Underneath was what seemed to be a leather chest protector. Her outfit was quite plain, except for the intricate embroidery all over the skirt in dozens of different shades of green. "Please, be welcome here. We do not mean you any harm."

Sora was the first to step out of the ship, followed closely by Riku. As they stepped onto the warm stones, the girl came a little closer. She placed her right hand over her fist, and bowed deeply to them. "I am to be your temporary guide. Welcome to our home Keybearers and friends."

"Um, thank you," Sora said, a little surprised. Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had finally walked out of the gummi ship to stand next to Riku and Sora in front of their guide. "But, how did you know who we are?"

"We were expecting you," the girl said simply as she stood up. "We were the ones that lead your ship to land here – this is the main docking area for all off world visitors. This is also where guides are assigned, the main reason being that no visitors are to be anywhere without a proper escort. It is not that we do not trust our visitors," she said with a smile, "but it is quite easy to get lost in the city if you have not lived here all your life."

"Thank you for your hospitality," King Mickey said as he came to the front of the group.

"You are quite welcome, King Mickey of the Disney Castle," she replied. "Now, of how may we be of help to such honored guests?"

"Whelp," King Mickey said, scratching his head. "We have a large favor to ask of your people. We would ask that you allow us the privilege of your entire history of the Keyblade, the Keyblade War, and everything associated with it."

The girl looked surprised, but smiled nonetheless. "I see. You are right – that is a large request. However, I am not authorized to make such agreements. I will send a message, and a quorum will commence under the direction of her Majesty and the Imperial Council. It should not take more than one hour. If you will please follow me, I will show you to a resting room that you may make use of until the minimum for the quorum has assembled."

"Thank you," King Mickey said.

"Please, take everything you may deem as necessary and close up your ship. It will remain here for the time being."

King Mickey turned. "Alright everybody – grab you stuff and let's get going." The six turned and quickly ransacked the gummi ship inside and out to make sure they had their packs, and plenty of potion and ether just in case. Once done, they disembarked for the last time and Donald closed the hatch and the gangplank raised itself up.

As the group finished and turned back to their guide, they saw that she had been conversing with someone. A screen that seemed to have been made of magic floated in the air, and their guide was speaking to someone on it in a strange language. It was flowing and delicate, and imparted the sense that it was quite old and well used. She nodded to the person on the screen and finished moments before the group walked up to her, waving her hand over the screen and it disappeared. "Are you prepared?" she asked them as she turned towards them. "Her Majesty and all the members of the Imperial Council have been notified of your request, and are beginning to congregate for the quorum. Also, word has been sent out and the viewing quota is beginning to assemble as well."

"What is the viewing quota?" Kairi asked politely.

"It is the minimum number of citizens required to view every request from any person who comes from another world. This is required because, at times, the Imperial Council has tied in their vote, and the citizens help in a general opinionated vote. Even so, after the Imperial Council has shown whether they favor the request or not, it is up to her Majesty to make the final decision."

"I see," she said.

"You are welcome. Now, if you would all please follow me?" the girl asked. She turned around and began walking towards a building on the far side of the docking area. Tall, majestic trees, making it almost impossible to discern anything on the other side of them, surrounded the docking area. As they walked, Riku noticed how quiet it was around them. He could hear the occasional birdcall, but any sounds concerning the life of the people on this world were oddly muted. He wondered if it was due to the large trees surrounding them, or something else.

He was brought out of his musings by a poke from Sora. "What?" he asked him.

"What do you think is going to happen? I mean, we _are_ meeting the people who rule this world, it sounds like – or at least this area in general. A queen, a council, and even the people who live here. Are they trying to intimidate us or something?" Sora asked, a little puzzled.

"I don't know," Riku admitted. "But if that girl said that this is standard procedure, all we can do is go along with it. I'm sure that whoever we will be speaking to will understand our situation and cause for worry. And besides, we have King Mickey with us. Every world who has made contact with other worlds knows about him, and the guide already knew his name as well. With him on our side, they cannot show us anything less than the proper courtesy."

"I suppose," Sora said, still not convinced.

"By the way Sora," Riku continued. "This may sound strange, but have you been here before?"

Sora thought quietly for a moment. "No – at least not as far as I remember. And the only memories I know that I'm missing are the ones from Castle Oblivion. Why do you ask?"

"This may sound odd, but I have an intense feeling of déjà vu," Riku said quietly. "Like I've been here or at least seen this place somewhere before."

"Have you?"

Riku shook his head. "I've thought about it since we landed, and I can't ever remember coming to a place like this. So I must have seen pictures or heard about it somewhere before. The problem is, I can't remember where."

"Let's ask King Mickey when we stop," Sora replied. The two teens looked up to see a moderately sized building looming in front of them. Their silent guide walked under several archways before coming to a wooden door. She pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing the visitors to go in before her. Kairi was the first to walk in, followed by Donald and Goofy.

"How beautiful!" she gasped. As Sora and Riku joined her, they could only marvel at the riches displayed around them. Soft chaise lounges, squishy chairs, and small comfortable sofas filled the space; two fireplaces adorned opposite sides of the room, and in the center was a large table filled with many varieties of food.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable," the girl said as she walked in behind them, gently closing the door. "This is your waiting room until the quorum has been assembled. I will come and retrieve you when it is time to head to the amphitheater where the quorum will be held. Food and drink are here on the table, and a washroom is located through this door," she said as she walked to a door next to one of the fireplaces. "If you require anything else, or assistance of any kind, please do not hesitate to notify me by activating this." She walked back to the main door and gestured to a glass ball that glowed with a soft yellow light. "All you have to do is touch this, and I will be here within moments. If any of you do not require anything at this time, I will depart and check on the preparations for the quorum. There are still several persons I must communicate with," she finished.

"Thank you. I believe that everything is more than satisfactory for our needs," King Mickey said. "We will be fine here until you return."

Their guide nodded. "Very well then. I will return within the half hour." She placed her right hand over her fist and bowed once more to them, before turning and walking out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

"So...we wait," Kairi said slowly.

Sora looked around, and walked over to a squishy bean bag looking chair, and flopped down on it. "Ahh," he sighed. "Well, if we have to, this is the way to do it." He dropped his small backpack next to him, stretching as he lay back.

"Look at this spread!" Donald quacked as his winged fingers began trying bits and pieces of the buffet provided. He popped a circular piece of bread, cheese, and vegetable spread in his mouth. "Hey, this is good!" Goofy came over and began 'sampling' as well with his feathered friend.

"I wonder if they treat all of their guests like royalty – no pun intended, King Mickey," Riku said with a smile.

"That's alright. Since we are being treated fairly well, it must indicate that we are already in high standings with the people here. It's a good sign," King Mickey said as he wandered about the room, studying the furnishings and decorations.

Riku walked over and sat down next to Sora, displaying a little more decorum than his friend had. "King Mickey? Can I ask you a question?" he called from his chair.

"What is it Riku?" King Mickey asked as he studied a painting of a grassy field with a tree blooming with pink flowers in the middle of it.

"Have you ever been to this realm before?"

"No. Why do you ask?" the tiny mouse replied, looking over at him.

Riku gave Sora a sideways glance, who nodded back at him. "I've already told Sora, but as soon as we exited the dimensional portal and saw the city, I've been having a strong feeling of déjà vu. I can't remember ever being here, but maybe I've seen pictures or heard people talk of this place before."

King Mickey turned and walked back to where the two Keybearers were sitting. Kairi walked over and sat down on Sora's other side, watching the conversation with interest. "Can you remember any specific instances?" the King asked him. "If you can, it may help."

Riku shook his head. "I've tried, but nothing specific comes to mind."

"Do you remember a place or a person you might have heard it from?" Kairi interjected.

"Again, I can't. It seems like I remember something, but it's hidden from me."

"Maybe it has something to do with Naminé," Sora suggested. "Considering she took apart _and_ put my memories back together, along with everyone associated with me, I wouldn't put it past her abilities to make you forget something like this. But if it was her, then why?" he asked out loud.

"I don't think so Sora," Kairi said gradually, her eyebrows furrowed. "I have this feeling that Naminé wasn't a part of this at all."

"Well then, something had to have caused this. Are there any other times when something happened to you, or someone did something to you, or you did something yourself where you can't quite remember all of the details of what happened?" King Mickey questioned him intensely.

Riku fell silent, thinking back through the events of the past two years. Opening the Door on the island, traveling through the darkness to Hollow Bastion where he met Maleficent, doing the witch's dirty work, Ansem taking over his body, shutting the door to Kingdom Hearts, working his way through Castle Oblivion, journeying to find a way to restore all of Sora's memories, fighting Roxas and losing, changing back into Ansem while fighting Roxas even though he won, helping Naminé and Ansem the Wise restore Sora, following Sora and Geni around until they all reunited in The World That Never Was, the final battle with Xemnas, getting lost in the Realm of Nothingness, and returning via the Door to Light with Sora. An idea popped into his head – it sounded incredulous, but it was the only time it had ever happened. "Well..."

"Yes? Do you remember something?" King Mickey asked hurriedly.

"When we battled Xemnas, in The World That Never Was, Xemnas used Geni's power to try and open a pathway to Kingdom Hearts. After we defeated him Axel, Roxas, Naminé, and Cirèna showed up with Geni's heart."

"What are you saying Riku?" Sora asked, confused.

"Don't you remember? We weren't sure if it had worked, and when I went to check on her something happened. I was pulled into her mind, or something like that. But all I remember is something about a key..."

"A key to what?" Kairi asked.

Riku shrugged, saying, "I don't know. That's all I can remember."

"Are you saying that you might have seen this place in Geni's memories?" King Mickey asked.

Riku sighed. "I honestly don't know. But that is the only time I can't remember everything that happened."

"So that might not be it either," Sora concluded.

Riku, his thinking now turned to the person he had to leave behind, began to finally consider the events that lead to his leaving yet again. He had promised Geni he would make sure she was never alone, yet look at him now. He was in another dimension, while she was stuck back on the islands. Also, he had allowed her to get hurt – the bullying from Leblanc had been nothing compared to when he almost lost her in the sphere. He said he would protect her no matter what, yet look at the pathetic example he had set for himself. Geni had been protecting not only herself but him all along. And then there was her strange behavior ever since she had come back from her trip with Queen Minnie. Riku could see the individual pieces of the puzzle, yet it seemed none of them were fitting together quite right – and he knew he was also missing several key pieces.

_Knock, knock_. "Excuse me, but it is time to proceed to the quorum," a voice called from outside the door. Their young guide had returned to collect them. King Mickey jumped up and ran for the door, opening it to allow their guide inside. She walked in, a smile on her face. "The quorum is about to begin. The last of the council and viewers are arriving as we speak, and my superiors wished for me to come and lead you to the amphitheater. Are all of you ready?" she asked.

King Mickey looked around. "Are you guys ready?" he asked them.

"As ready as we'll ever be, I suppose," Sora said as he pushed himself out of his chair, grabbing his pack in the process. He, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy joined the King at the front door.

"I guess we are ready then," King Mickey replied as he turned back to their guide. "Please, lead the way."

"If you'll follow me please?" she said. Turning, she walked out the door and waited as the group exited before closing the door. Once done, she led them along a path that lead from the front of the building, but turned left away from where their gummi ship lay. The path was lined with the tall trees they had seen from a distance, but within moments they had exited onto a larger pathway that led towards the larger buildings and the dome. The path was covered with stone arches, vines and flowers growing up their sides. It was a calm and peaceful area, and quiet too – mainly due to the enormous walls that blocked them in on both sides.

"Why do I suddenly feel claustrophobic?" Sora whispered to Kairi as they walked along.

Kairi giggled softly, smacking him gently on his shoulder. "Sora, be nice. Don't let her hear you," she said as she gestured towards the guide walking a ways ahead of them.

Sora kept quiet for the reminder of the trek, heeding Kairi's advice to not dwindle their chances of success. The closed in path, after seeming to have walked it for several hours, brought them directly to the base of the dome they had seen. It was even larger close up, to say the least. Three-quarters of the way up it had been built of the same kind of pale stone as the rest of the buildings, but had been crowned with a glass top that sparkled in the sun. Also, there were long windows that punctuated the stone here and there, giving it the look of a very tall, very long, and very hard piece of rectangular Swiss cheese. The group walked through an arched hole in the base of the dome, suddenly becoming very dark as they walked in. Kairi nudged herself closer to Sora, grabbing one of his hands. He squeezed her hand back, reassuring her that everything would be fine. Even so, it was a moment before they could see a light coming from the end of the tunnel. In the end, they were all shocked into silence as they exited back out into the bright light of day.

The group entered the dome, following their mute guide. It was the largest structure Sora, Riku, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had ever seen. It was as long as several football fields, and several hundred feet high. The dome high above them covered with clear glass let the bright morning sunlight into the dome, so hardly any lights were needed at all. The most amazing aspect, however, was not in the dome's architecture. Rather, it was the row upon row, tier upon tier, thousands upon thousands of spectators murmuring quietly – many in close to the same attire as their guide wore. The only difference was that unlike their guide, every person had donned a hood or scarf that covered their faces completely.

Their guide led them along a path towards the center section of the dome, where three tiers centered around a regal throne on a raised dais in a semicircle. Several dozen seats surrounded the throne on each of the second and third tiers, with a long, crimson carpet runner running from the front of the third tier all the way to the throne at the very top. Most of the seats (which looked a lot like L-shaped beans) were filled below the main platform, but several still remained empty. The robed persons, faces hidden like the spectators, conversed with each other quietly, sometimes glancing with interest towards the newcomers walking towards them.

At the step leading to the lowermost tier, their guide paused and turned to face them. "You must head alone from here. The quorum will begin shortly, so please wait here quietly until you are called to come forward. Then, only stand at the very beginning of the covered path unless told otherwise. Please be respectful at all times and only speak when spoken to. Do you have any questions?"

The group looked at each other and shrugged. King Mickey stepped forward, however. "If I may, one question?"

"Of course, your majesty. What question do you need answered?"

"Will we have any freedom when speaking, or must we rely on the kindness of our hosts?"

The guide smiled. "You are truly wise, King Mickey. There will be a brief time when you will be able to state your request, so choose carefully who will speak and what they will say."

"Thank you," King Mickey replied.

"You are quite welcome. And..." their guide paused, looking around. "Good luck," she said quickly. She bowed, and hurried towards a section behind the main dais and took a seat.

"Well, now what?" Sora said as he turned.

"We need to think and plan carefully," King Mickey replied. "These people are wise and powerful, and what we ask for is no small matter. Asking for their complete knowledge and history of the Keyblade is quite a large demand. First of all, would anyone like to volunteer to speak for us?"

Five pairs of eyes looked towards the ground, deep in thought. The first to speak was Riku. "King Mickey, I think you should speak for all of us. For one thing, you are the most experienced in these type of…_situations_, for lack of a better word. Your oratory skills are probably much better than ours."

"I always get sick when I have to give presentations at school anyways," Sora said, smiling sheepishly. "Poor public speaking skills…"

"We get the point, Sora," Riku said, frowning. "Still, is that alright with you, your majesty?"

"Of course, if all of you are okay with this." Five heads nodded in response. "Okay, then how should we –"

A burst of trumpet fanfare cut off King Mickey, and the audience was immediately hushed. Not one person moved, whispered, or breathed loudly. All eyes were on the central platform. From a doorway in the back of the dais, three people walked to the throne-like chair. Unlike the rest of the gathering, their heads were uncovered. Two of them wore the robes like the other thousands of spectators, except for sashes crossing their chests. The last person, however, was splendidly dressed. They wore a robe of pure white, with the hems of the sleeves and the hem of the robe in a royal purple. However, this person's face was visible, displaying an elegant, sparkling crown. The silver was wrought into delicate vines and leaves, with fine jewels set as flowers. One large purple stone sat at the forefront of the tiara, giving off a powerful presence to all who beheld it. The person wearing this crown was none other than her majesty, the Queen of the Keepers.


	16. Decisions and Consequences

Chapter 15

Slowly and elegantly she walked down the carpeted runway to the throne. The two people flanking her, one man and one woman, followed closely behind. Across their torsos the woman wore a blue sash while the man wore a red sash. Upon reaching the ornate throne, the queen regally sat upon it and faced the group below her. She folded her hands in her lap, her robes settling around her. The two people with her stood next to her throne, one on each side, and glanced around the amassed congregation with interest.

The queen herself was older, with several wrinkles marring her otherwise flawless face. Her hair was silver intermingled with several strands of white. Her entire persona exuded a presence of one who had seen many years, and had acquired much wisdom during them. Her face was set in stone; her only expressive feature was her pair of fierce claret eyes. However, she seemed mortally human to the audience as well; like the matriarch who watches over not just her own children, grandchildren, and family in general – but everyone else as well no matter the relation or circumstances.

Just then, the man stepped forward and addressed the audience. "The quorum will now commence. I present to our people the Imperial Council and her majesty, Dowager Queen Hisako." Simultaneously, ever person in the amphitheater bowed their heads and placed their right hands over their left fists in respect towards the queen.

"Welcome to the Realm of the Keepers," she said, clearly and with great articulation. Her voice seemed to be amplified by some means, because it was still as strong and clear at the bottom of the daises where the group stood in silence. "Please, step forward onto the dais." King Mickey led the others up the steps to the bottom of the platform, and stood quietly before the Imperial Council. "Please introduce yourselves to the council, stating your name and home world."

King Mickey stepped forward first and knelt down on one knee. "I am King Mickey, ruler of Disney Castle, and wielder of the Keyblade Kingdom Key." He turned his head slightly, and nodded to the rest of the group. One by one the others came forward and introduced themselves.

"I am Sora Akeno, resident of Destiny Islands, and wielder of the Keyblade Oathkeeper."

"I am Riku Tamohara, resident of Destiny Islands, and wielder of the Keyblade The Way To The Dawn."

"I am Kairi Ruka, resident of Destiny Islands, and wielder of the Keyblade Sunset Blossom."

"I'm Goofy, resident of Disney Castle, Captain of the Guard, a-hyuk."

"And I am Donald Duck, resident of Disney Castle, Court Magician."

Queen Hisako looked down upon the six of them and nodded in approval. "I welcome you to our home. Now, it has been told to me that you ask a great deal from us. Is this true?"

King Mickey looked around once before standing up and facing the monarch while the others remained on their knees. He took a deep breath before beginning. "Yes, your majesty. For you see, it has come to my attention that there have been wielders of the Keyblade besides the four of us wandering the worlds. True, they have done nothing but aid the residents of those worlds in destroying Heartless and Nobodies, but it has also given rise to concern that this rising number of wielders is coming to rival the period of that just before the great Keyblade War."

Murmuring was heard amongst the council and in the stands, and the queen was silent for a moment. "True," she said plainly.

Since she did not say anything more, King Mickey pressed on. "It is not to say that more Keybearers are bad news. But on the other hand, it has led me to believe that the prophecy written just before the Keyblade War is finally coming to pass. Several of the predictions listed have already come true: the Heartless Ansem collecting the Princesses of Heart to open the door to Kingdom Hearts, and Organization XIII amassing countless hearts to open their own pathway to Kingdom Hearts."

"I see," Queen Hisako said. "It does appear then that you do have several valid reasons for concern that the prophecy may be indeed coming to fruition," she continued with a nod. "So, in reference to all you have just said, what is it you have come to ask us for?"

King Mickey cleared his throat. "We humbly beseech your majesty that she allow us access to all of the documents, articles, and such that pertain to the Keyblade, the Keyblade War, and the entire history of the Keyblade."

Harried whispers broke out everywhere, from those around the group in the Imperial Council, to the thousands of spectators watching them from the stands. Hands and hoods hid the words, as well as the use of an unknown language. Still, King Mickey looked around unflinchingly, standing firm on his choice of words.

The queen cleared her throat loudly, and all noise ceased immediately. "It is true then, from what already has been told to me. That is quite an enormous proposal you ask us to consider for you. It would mean allowing you permission to delve into the very heart of my people, King Mickey, and into the very history of the universe as well. Are you ready to take that kind of step? Are you positive you and your comrades want to?" she asked questioningly.

"This request is not on behalf of myself, your majesty," King Mickey said. "This is a matter of safety for all worlds in existence, including your own. I am positive that your majesty already knows what is written in that prophecy, so there is really no need for me to warn you about the danger of what could be unleashed upon the universe if this prophecy does come to pass. Even so, for the sake of the others, it says that darkness and evil will dominate and consume the worlds one by one in a storm of shadows until nothing is left. For that reason – to protect _every _person, on _every_ world – we have come to ask you for this knowledge."

"Then we will consider your request immediately." The queen swiveled her head slowly, looking upon all of the members of the Imperial Council. "Are there any of you who would wish to speak upon this?" she asked them. "Any remarks for or against the allowance of our records to this group?"

One person stood up on the second tier. "If I may, your majesty," a woman's voice called.

"Speak," she commanded.

The woman turned towards the group of six. "What will you do once you have proved or disproved that the prophecy is coming to pass?" she asked them.

King Mickey was silent for a moment, before carefully answering. "We will use the knowledge we have gained to either stop the prophecy if it is already coming true, or to use the knowledge to search out the Keybearers' who do fit into the prophecy and prevent it from happening altogether."

"I see," the woman replied wryly. She nodded once before sitting down.

"Any others?" the queen called out.

A person directly below the queen stood up, using a cane to support themselves. "I have a question, your majesty," an elderly sounding man called hesitantly.

"Speak," she again commanded.

The older man slowly turned towards the group on their knees, save for King Mickey. "Why should we allow you access to our libraries, when all of you have been tainted by darkness at one point or another in your lives?" He pointed at Riku with a bony finger. "And the boy called Riku Tamohara – you willingly used the darkness to kidnap the seven Princesses of Heart and take their hearts from them in order to open the keyhole in Hollow Bastion. You allowed the darkness to consume you and very nearly destroyed the universe in the process. Is that not correct?" he asked.

Riku looked down at the ground in shame, hearing whispers erupt once more from around him. _So they know_, he thought bitterly. _Well, there go our chances of –_

"That's not true!" Riku looked up to see Sora standing defiantly next to him, his fists clenched as he stared up at the older man speaking to them.

"Mind your words carefully child," the older man said as he stared Sora down.

Sora rolled right on past his warning. "Riku may have been manipulated by Maleficent and controlled by the darkness, but he only did it to save Kairi! And in the end, he ended up saving all of us from Ansem's Heartless and closing himself and King Mickey inside Kingdom Hearts so that the Heartless _couldn't_ escape!" he said loudly, digging his fingernails into his palms. "And ever since then, Riku has done everything in his power to redeem himself countless times over for everything he's done. He has protected me, my family, and my friends without us even knowing it! So if constantly atoning yourself for every mistake that you've made in your past is a crime, then I am just as guilty as he is!" he finished, breathing heavily.

Riku smiled as his best friend, always defending him to the last. "Thank you Sora…" he whispered quietly.

Dowager Queen Hisako watched the boy closely as he ardently defended his friend, noting his mannerisms and physical characteristics. Once his little speech was over, she amazed all of the people assembled there. The queen unexpectedly gave the group a benevolent smile and stood up slowly to face them, her hands resting at her sides. "You are very brave or very foolish, Sora Akeno, to speak out in such a manner here. But courage and bravery are not one's best qualities – your belief in your friend, and your belief in your mutual friendship and his innocence, are." Looking around, she spoke loudly. "Members of the Imperial Council, what say you? Would you allow these six into our archives? Yea or nay?"

Each member of the council raised a hand towards the sky. Suddenly, the area above the dais was covered in balls of green and red light, one over each member. The majority of the colored balls were green, yet a decent number were still red.

"The Imperial Council has decided. The majority allows you authorization into our archives." King Mickey smiled widely, and Sora almost jumped for joy, before remembering where he was and caught himself. "However…" the queen paused. All eyes turned towards the monarch. "However, because the vote was not completely unanimous, I place a motion out to the council to allow for a test of admission."

"A test of what?" Sora whispered to King Mickey. He could see many of the people around him nodding in approval at the compromise, if that is what it was.

"Shh, listen," King Mickey said quickly.

"How say you, the Imperial Council? Shall we test our guests?" Like before, the colored balls of light appeared over the members. This time, however, there was an undisputed coloring of green light over everyone. "The council votes in favor of a test of admission, which will commence immediately." The queen sat down, back upon her throne, and clapped her hands twice. Instantly, the several-tiered dais began to move backwards into the stands with a rumble, while the seats behind them began moving to the left or right out of the way.

"King Mickey, what's going on?" Sora quickly whispered into his ear as he tried to keep his balance as the dais moved backwards. "What is this 'test of admission' the queen was talking about?"

"They want to test us to see if we are worthy enough, to see if we are able to become their allies and be privy to all of their knowledge. And since the queen is retracting the daises back into the wall of the stadium, our best bet is that it is going to be a test of warriors."

"Test of warriors?" Kairi asked from behind him.

"Either one of us or several of us, depending on what her majesty chooses, will face off. We have to win in order to gain the knowledge we came searching for," he explained as the daises shuddered to a halt. "We should be finding out right now."

As all movement ceased in the amphitheater, Dowager Queen Hisako rose to her feet once more. "We shall conduct the test of admission here before the quorum. It shall consist of a single battle of armed combat, no prohibitions for battle magic or elemental magic, and no time limit. The degree for victory is death of the opposing challenger." Her statements were met by widespread approval, except for the group of six below her.

"To the death?!" Kairi whispered frantically. "King Mickey, there must be another way to get this information. We could go –"

"No," King Mickey said firmly. "I am sorry Kairi, but this is the only way. Also, please give our hosts a little more credit – even if the match is to the death, they wouldn't want to make an enemy out of a potential ally. Even if one of us was severely injured to that point, they would do everything in their power to heal us. And who knows, her majesty may stop the fight before that point as well. Right now, our fate and chances of succeeding lay with her."

"I still don't like it," Kairi said sullenly.

"Hey fellers! She's still talking – and I think it's important!" Goofy whispered hurriedly to them all. The group turned their attention back to the queen.

"– and shall be chosen randomly from amongst our top warriors, each personally supported by a member of the Imperial Council. The chosen warrior will do battle with the warrior chosen by King Mickey. Do you find these terms fair and honest, your majesty?" Dowager Queen Hisako called down to him, speaking in more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, it does," King Mickey quickly replied.

"Then, please look upon your potential opponents," she said as she gestured behind them. The group turned around, and saw that at least three dozen people were forming a curved line in front of the lowest dais. Like the audience and the Imperial Council, their faces were covered. Conversely, each warrior was wearing a full length cape of beige material, so no part of their bodies could be seen whatsoever, and their genders unidentifiable. The only attributes to be determined were height and body shape. Some of the warriors were quite tall, while others were much shorter. Some seemed to be large and muscular, while other where thin and lithe, their strength unknown. As the last warrior completed the semicircle, as one they line turned and faced her majesty, heads bowed.

"We will now select at random the warrior who will do battle with one of your own, King Mickey. After you see the selection, please choose wisely who will represent you in the coming battle." Dowager Queen Hisako turned to the woman next to her who wore the blue sash. In her hands had suddenly appeared a white orb of light, and she handed it the queen slowly. Taking it, her majesty turned and allowed the orb to fly out of her hands and float gently down to the line of warriors below her.

Light as a feather, it bounced and twirled over the heads of the warriors, drifting along the line several times. From time to time it seemed to hover momentarily over one of them, causing everyone to hold their breath, before suddenly jolting to the next candidate. For five silent minutes the crowd held its breath, until…the orb stopped. The warrior was shorter than most, but not the shortest; they were not large with muscle, but smaller and probably quicker. A loud exhalation could be heard from many, before excited whispers took over. The candidate was then surrounded by the other warriors, getting clapped on the back or hugged, words of encouragement given. Some of the warriors immediately left, heading for the archway the group had entered through, as though irritated or disheartened that they themselves had not been chosen. Or, just maybe, they were jealous?

King Mickey was silent throughout the process, watching the attributes of the candidates before the orb of light had finally made its selection. Once it had, he turned around to his loyal subjects and friends. "Whelp, there they are. I am not going to pick on of you specifically to fight. I will, however, ask if any of you _want_ to fight for us instead. Don't be ashamed if any of you do not feel up to the task," he said encouragingly.

"I'll do it," Sora immediately volunteered. "I'll give them a battle to remember!" he said proudly.

Riku, on the other hand, had been closely observing the challenger chosen for them. Whoever it was seemed to be incredibly respected, for all of the other warriors crowded around them at once in a positive attitude. The person also looked as if they were uncomfortable with the attention given them, and often tried to shy away or cut off early congratulations. Physically, the person walked with a tremendous amount of grace and control, observing everything around them with incredible scrutiny. As the crowd dispersed, the lone warrior began to walk towards the bottom of the dais where they promptly waited patiently. _Whoever that is, they must be powerful_, Riku thought to himself. _I'm beginning to have a bad feeling about this match; something doesn't feel right…or rather, that some_one_ doesn't feel right._

"Riku?" Riku turned his head away from the crowd below them, and stared into the questioning eyes of his friends.

"What?" he asked casually.

"I asked you if you were okay with me fighting," Sora asked him. "Since you didn't answer right away…"

"Actually, for once I do mind," Riku said, surprising everyone including himself.

"Are you sure?" King Mickey asked. "You want to represent us in this battle?"

Riku nodded. "I have a strange feeling that this battle is not all going to be as it seems," he said slowly.

"A gut feeling?" King Mickey asked him.

"Your instincts are usually better than mine," Sora admitted with a grin. "Mine are usually so off they're backwards." He suddenly put on a solemn face, and looked straight at Riku. "Are you sure about this Riku? Because if your not, that's okay – I'll fight for us."

He shook his head. "I want to do this Sora. Something is telling me that this is something I have to do. So, if it is okay with all of you, please let me be the one to fight."

Sora put up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "No problems here."

"Just be really careful out there, okay?" Kairi said with a worried look in her eyes.

"I will," Riku promised.

"Here. Drink up," Donald commanded as he pulled a bottle of Elixir out of his pack.

"Thanks," Riku said as he gulped the tasteless potion down, feeling his magic and health become restored and replenished.

"No here moves this time, got it?" Sora said as he walked over and punched him gently in the arm.

"I thought that was your department," Riku retorted.

"Only if Phil or Hercules is watching," Sora reciprocated with a grin. "Seriously, though, be careful out there," he said with a sober look.

"I'll do my best," Riku said.

"Good luck Riku," King Mickey said to him. "We're all counting on you."

Just then, the queen along with her two aides began to descend the tiers one by one until they were within short walking distance of the group. As the trio stopped directly in front of our heroes, all eyes turned upon them. The queen once more addressed the audience, council, and her guests as she stood in front of them. "King Mickey, have you chosen your challenger?" she said as she gazed upon them.

"I have, your majesty. Riku Tamohara will represent us in this battle." He gestured for Riku to step forward. The silver haired teen did so, standing straight and tall before the gathering.

"I see," the queen replied softly. After a brief moment of silence she continued in a stern voice. "If that is your choice, so be it. Challenger, please come forward," she called over his shoulder. The unknown warrior slowly climbed the steps and walked past the scrutinizing eyes of the Imperial Council. No sound could be heard from them, neither a breath nor the tapping of their shoes upon the ground. As the warrior passed the outsiders, they briefly turned their head to look upon them for a brief second. Nothing could be seen of their face, except for black shadows. As the warrior came to a rest next to Riku, he finally saw that they were shorter than he was by a good six or eight inches. Before he could reflect upon their obvious height difference, the queen spoke again.

"Kneel, challengers," she commanded. Both warriors promptly knelt before her. "You have already heard the terms of the challenge: one on one battle, the use of any kind of magic is allowed, and the victor is determined by the death of their opponent." She looked over at King Mickey. "King Mickey, would you like to add any preferences for the battle?"

"If I may, your majesty?" he asked.

"Of course. Please name it," she replied.

"I would prefer it the combatants would be allowed to use the weapon they are most familiar with; namely, Riku with his Keyblade."

"Of course – that allowance is usually standard," she admitted. "Any others?"

"I would also like the privilege of opponent familiarity."

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow that," the queen immediately said. "For the safety of my people, they wear the coverings to protect not only their own identity but continue the idea of random selection for the battle. For you see, even I do not know who the challenger is; it could be any number of my subjects," she explained. "However…there is the possibility that the warrior's identity may be revealed during the course of combat. If that happens at such a point, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, it cannot be prevented. I apologize for this aspect," she said to him.

"Quite alright, your majesty," King Mickey said.

"Onto the battle then. If there are no more considerations to be taken into account, the challengers will be sent to the arena floor and the battle will commence without delay. Do your best," she instructed them as she snapped her fingers. Riku and the anonymous warrior were surrounded by clear bubbles, which hovered momentarily before quickly descending to the dirt floor of the stadium. "Please, follow me to your seats," the queen said to them as she turned and walked back up to the top of the uppermost dais quickly followed by her two advisers. Sora, Kairi, King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald followed closely behind the three of them, and were surprised to find five seats had now appeared on the Queen's left, with two more for her advisers on her right. "Please, sit," she gestured as she sat down herself.

"Thank you," King Mickey said as he hopped up onto his seat and looked down upon the arena floor.

Sora sat down and immediately searched for Riku below him. He wasn't up too high, so binoculars weren't needed to see the fight. In fact, he could see quite clearly the two of them as they stood upon the field. Riku and his unknown adversary stared each other down, waiting for the match to commence. "Come on Riku, you can do it," Sora whispered quietly.

"You know he'll win," Kairi said comfortingly as she placed a hand over his.

Sora turned to face her, smiling. "I know. But it doesn't mean I still can't cheer for him."

"We all will," Kairi said. She looked down at the field. "I wonder who his opponent really is though. You can't tell anything from that cloak they wear."

"We should be able to find out quite quickly once they begin," Sora replied.

Down on the dirt floor of the dome, Riku had just had his bubble burst and was standing, admiring the large size of the field. There was plenty of room for a battle, allowing the people watching a large enough gap between them that they could watch with safety and not get in the way of the match. He turned, and saw that his opponent was staring at him. He decided to see if he could find out anything about them before the match started. Walking up, he stuck out his hand.

"My name is Riku. I hope we'll have a good match today," he said politely. The individual stared at him, not bothering to return the handshake.

Riku lowered his hand. "Aren't you even allowed to say hello or converse with your opponent?"

"No," his opponent said quietly.

Riku started. He had been surprised at first because the person had spoken, but what had even startled him more is that from their voice he couldn't even discern whether or not he was fighting a man or a woman. "Oh, I see. Wait! I thought you said you weren't allowed to converse with me. Why say 'no' then?" he asked suspiciously.

"You asked," they replied with a shrug.

"Oh," Riku said. "May I ask you another question?" His opponent remained silent, still staring straight at him. "Are you hiding your voice? It sounds strange," he asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You are not supposed to know who I am. Now please stop asking me so many questions," they said brusquely, but still in a soft voice.

"Alright, sorry," Riku mumbled. _What's up with them?_ he thought to himself. Just then, a trumpet fanfare that had announced the Queen before was suddenly blown again.

"Challengers!" Riku looked up to see the Queen standing up next to his friends. "We wish good luck to both of you. You may begin!" A roar erupted throughout the stadium at this sentence.

Riku quickly spun around to see that his opponent hadn't moved an inch, not even taking out a weapon to attack him with. Riku quickly released The Way To The Dawn, and bent his knees in a ready position. He and his opponent faced off for a tense minute, neither attacking nor preparing to attack. Riku decided then to make the first move. He quickly ran with his Keyblade stretched out in an offensive position, ready to slash at his opponent. As he was about to slash them across their chest, his opponent suddenly disappeared, as if they had never been there. Riku slid to a halt, and quickly sensed around him and used his eyes to find his opponent. They were standing about twenty feet behind him, unmoving.

"Gawrsh, they're fast!" Goofy exclaimed.

"I didn't even see them move," Sora commented, wonder in his voice.

Apparently, neither did Riku. He turned around, puzzled. He thought for a moment, before trying a different technique. He summoned up his magic, shouting "Firaga!" The elemental flame spell shot out in several directions towards his opponent, but like before they quickly evaded in the blink of an eye. This time, Riku was prepared and followed their energy signature with his finely honed senses, and quickly dashed to his left where the cloaked figure quickly appeared, directly in his path of attack. However, Riku did not make contact because as soon as the person appeared, they disappeared again to his far right.

"Damn it!" Riku swore quietly. "Whoever that person is, they're fast." He thought for a moment as the two adversaries locked eyes. Riku suddenly smirked, coming up with the perfect plan. He might not be as fast as they were, but he could fix that. This time Riku called up a Blizzaga spell, and aimed it just to the right of his adversary, missing on purpose. As usual, they evaded. Following them, Riku used Firaga on their next point of appearance, forcing them to move once again. He used several different elemental attacks randomly, forcing his opponent to be constantly on the move.

"What's he doing?" Sora wondered. "He's not even hitting them – whoever it is, they are way too fast."

"I think I have an idea," King Mickey voiced. "If you can't match speeds with your opponent…"

"Slow them down," Kairi said slowly after a moment. Her face suddenly brightened. "Oh! I get it! That's a good plan."

"What is?" Sora asked her.

"Just watch," she told him, turning back to the fight.

Riku could feel his magic levels dropping, and without any Ether on him he would drain himself completely soon. He would have to fight to bring it back up naturally. However, his plan was working perfectly. By sending elemental spells all around the arena where his adversary kept popping up, he kept them in constant movement. Also, he had finally achieved a pattern to his attacks, allowing his opponent to find that pattern and fall comfortably into his trap. After another Firaga spell, Riku quickly changed tactics to entrap them.

"Thundaga!" he suddenly yelled, and the entire field turned into a ferocious thunderstorm. He could see the cloaked figure falter as their pattern was suddenly thrown off, forcing them to dodge left and right several times, and allowing Riku the precious moments he needed. He charged forward to the spot where they would appear in two jumps.

The cloaked figure swore under their breath when Riku used his Thundaga spell, suddenly having to shift out of their comfortable pattern. They had hoped not to fight in close combat, and were planning on using some magic to augment the distance between them. However, once the field was alive with thunderbolts, that changed everything. By trying to dodge all of the lightning, the individual did not notice that Riku had finally charged towards them. As they popped out of sight and back into it once more, they came face to face with Riku as he swung his Keyblade at them.

"Gotcha!" he cried as he swung down.

_Locārthú_, they swore to themselves. _Now I'll have to use my weapon – there isn't any other way to block him!_

A shrill, reverberating _clang!_ suddenly enveloped the field as metal met metal, as Keyblade met staff.


	17. To The Bitter End

Chapter 16

The stadium was silent. Riku's Keyblade was still pointed in a downwards thrust and was resting on top of the black staff his opponent was using to block themselves with. He applied no pressure to it whatsoever; all Riku could do was stare at the familiar weapon blocking a blow that was supposed to injure his previously unknown opponent. Slowly, he lifted his Keyblade up and off of the black staff, allowing his opponent to stand whereas they had gone down on one knee due to Riku's attack.

"It can't be..." he whispered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Believe it," the voice from before said, just before a hand pushed through the fabric of the cloak and up towards their covered head. Grabbing the front of the hood shielding their face, they gently pulled it back, brown spiky hair springing forth into the sunlight. "Riku," Geni simply said – neither a question, nor an answer – simply a fact.

Riku stared for a moment, before shaking his head yet again and speaking. "What are you doing here?"

"Fighting you, what else?" she replied, her lips tight.

"Not that! Why are you here, in this realm, wearing clothes like that?!" he gestured. "You're supposed to be back home on the islands. How did you even get here?" he asked her incredulously.

"Save those questions for later. Right now, we have a fight to finish," she said flatly. In one jerk, Geni's light brown cloak that had been covering her entire body was thrown off, revealing her entirely new outfit underneath it. She was wearing clothing similar to what their guide had worn: she had a pair of tan pants that ballooned before coming to bunch at her ankle, a pair of ballet slipper type shoes, her shirt that showed off a good three inches or so of her midriff before beginning in a beige tank top that looped around her left shoulder to hide her scar, a leather-like breastplate that went over the tank top looping over her shoulder as well, leather-like arm bracers, and several colorful ringlets encircling her upper right arm. Around her neck was a brown piece of cloth; attached to it in the middle was an oval disk with strange runes carved upon it. Lastly, she was wearing a skirt that went down to mid-shin, but was cut into four different sections: one in front, one in back, and one on each side. Each panel was brightly embroidered with many different symbols and in many different colors, lending the appearance of a rainbow on each. Her entire appearance – sans her new clothes, of course –still remained the same however.

"What's going on here?" Riku demanded, gripping the pommel of his Keyblade.

"Nothing until you beat me," Geni said with a straight face. "Now come. We have a fight to finish." She twirled around her staff once, and slammed it into the ground, leaving a small crater at the site of impact.

"I won't do it! I won't fight you!" Riku pleaded with her.

"You must! It is your duty," she sighed. "King Mickey needs that information. In order to get that, you have to kill me – or didn't you hear her majesty?"

"I did!" he said through clenched teeth. "But I refuse to fight knowing that I'm fighting you!"

"Then please forgive me," Geni said softly. She suddenly lunged towards Riku and knocked him across his chest with her staff, sending him flying thirty feet into the dusty ground.

The five guests sitting next to Dowager Queen Hisako stared down into the arena below them, not trusting their eyesight. "Is that...what I think it is?" Sora asked quietly to no one in particular.

"That staff..." King Mickey murmured in disbelief. It was at that point that the figure had stood up and removed their hood, showing off a very familiar set of spikes. "Geni..." he whispered.

"What's going on?" Donald demanded. "Why is Riku fighting Geni?" he asked, looking over at the Queen.

"She _was_ the one chosen in the selection, obviously," Dowager Queen Hisako stated.

"Not that! Why is she here? Why isn't she back on the islands?" he quacked.

Dowager Queen Hisako shook her head. "You must ask her that yourself after the battle is over."

"But...the battle is to the death..." Kairi whispered in fear.

Sora gripped the sides of his seat. "Riku...Geni..." he said softly. _If she was here, why didn't I feel her?_ he thought to himself. _Riku's feeling from before...could he have somehow known it was her?_ Suddenly Geni whisked her cloak off, revealing her true self to the audience. Moments later, she whipped her staff at Riku and sent him flying. The silence was broken by an immediate riotous cheering. Interspersed were the occasionally loud "boo's," which were promptly drowned out by Geni's apparent fans.

"Why is she fighting him?" Kairi demanded, her eyes watery.

"Both were chosen for this battle, and to accomplish what you came here to seek, your friend must finish this battle," Dowager Queen Hisako explained in a gentle voice. "Your sister knows that," she said, turning to look at Sora.

"You knew..." he said softly, looking down at the ground.

The queen nodded. "I assure you, neither of them is in any great danger. Once the battle is over, all will be explained. Until then, trust in both of them." And with that, she turned back to observe the match below them.

Riku carefully stood up, wiping the dirt from his knees. He could feel that his chest was bruised from that one attack, but not severely. Geni was still standing where she had hit him, unmoving, watching his every move. He stood immobile, his mind frozen with confusion. "Will you fight now?" she called softly.

"I told you, I won't fight you!" he answered angrily. "Why are you doing this anyway?"

"For you," she said quietly as she suddenly dashed towards him and swung her staff at him. Riku brought his Keyblade up to halt the attack, but the force behind the swing was almost too much for him. He stopped it, but the momentum still pushed him back a few feet before the two of them began to grapple, creating two longs tracks in the dirt. "Fight me!" she hissed at him softly.

"No! Why are you doing this?" he asked her through gritted teeth. Geni bore down upon him, forcing him back even further, step by step.

"Because you have to win!" Geni suddenly threw him off and did several handstands, flipping her back a good distance away from him. She thrust her staff down into the ground several inches, one hand gripping the other end. She began murmuring to herself, and the staff began to glow starting at her palm and working its way down through the staff and into the ground.

"Seismic Tremor!" she shouted. The ground around Riku began to shake violently, cracking under the pressure from below. Riku jumped and hovered in the air to avoid falling into a crevasse that had suddenly appeared next to him. From above, he could see the large circle shaped indentation from her attack. "Crystal Daggers!" Geni shouted next. She extended the hand that wasn't holding the staff, lifting it palm up slowly into the air. Enormous pieces of rock broke away from the ground, floating ominously in mid-air. Once a dozen or so pieces were out, Geni clenched her fist and the rocks imploded onto themselves, the pressure causing the rocks to crystallize within seconds.

_Uh-oh_, Riku thought to himself. His prediction was right – Geni, using her hand, sent the large pointy crystals towards him at a great speed. He was able to dodge most of them; on the other hand, the ones he couldn't dodge cut through him like a knife on his right shoulder and left thigh. Riku gasped at the sudden pain, and the blood running in small rivulets from the clean wounds, staining his vest and pants.

"Are you willing to fight me now?" Geni called from below him as she pulled her staff out of the ground, twirling it a few times to release the clumps of dirt on the end of it. "I'm completely serious Riku. If you don't fight me, I'll _make_ you fight me."

Riku clenched his fist around The Way To The Dawn. He looked down at Geni. Her face was impassive, waiting for his response. He looked to a place where she could lie no easier than he could: her eyes. In those blue depths he saw her true emotions: anger, sadness, and remorse. _This fight isn't her choosing either, it seems,_ he thought to himself. _She must know something that I don't if she is coming at me like this_. Riku slowly lowered himself out of the air and back down until his feet touched the broken ground once more. "I suppose there isn't any other way," he said nonchalantly. "King Mickey, Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy are all counting on us." Even though her expression didn't change, Riku saw understanding flicker across her eyes. "Then let's finish this – the quicker, the better."

"My sentiments exactly," she replied with a thin smile. As if on a silent cue, the two of them sped towards each other with a renewed force, loud voices cheering them on in the background.

"This is amazing," King Mickey murmured, finally recovering from his initial shock. "I've never seen Geni fight like this, or use magic like that."

"She has been taught well," the woman to the right of the queen commented, finally speaking.

"But we never taught her magic like this," Donald replied, looking at King Mickey. The mouse nodded. "Where did she learn to fight like this?" Suddenly, a loud "ooh!" resounded from the stands. Geni had shed first blood against Riku, cuts from her dagger-like crystals in his arm and leg. "We definitely never taught her how to do _that_," Donald said with a cringe.

Sora and Kairi mimicked Donald's reaction, Kairi hiding her head in the crook of Sora's arm. Sora forced himself to watch. "This isn't like fighting a Heartless or Nobody," he said quietly to himself. Kairi listened, cringing in time to the crowd's cheers. "When you fight an entity that hurts not your body but your heart and soul, there are no gashes or cuts...or blood," he said softly. "None of us has ever fought another physically real human being before."

"But why?" Kairi whispered into his arm. "Those two care more about each other than anything else in the entire universe. Why would they fight each other so hard?"

"Do not forget, young one, that someone has to win this," the man with the red sash said gruffly. "If you truly value your friends down there, and the sacrifice they are willing to make by battling each other just for you, I would suggest not looking upon this battle as a bad thing – but rather as something that must be done no matter what the case may be." He turned back to watch the fight, his eyes darting between the two powerful warriors below them.

Sora began to wonder what other secrets Geni had been hiding from them; this incredible power, formidable spells, and the clear recognition the people around him had of her. He had heard shouts of encouragement and boo's (of course in the strange language, so he could only assume from their tone that this was the case). A small group to his left had started chanting something, and he desperately tried to hear it through the noise all around him.

"Utahime tetsubo futatsu hanareru naginata de Songuraita!" several of the people shouted, pumping their fists into the air.

_I wonder what they're saying_, he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the fight. Geni and Riku had just begun their match yet again, striking and hitting each other with vigor. Both used their weapons offensively and defensively; Riku used his Keyblade, swinging it around like a whip and occasionally using one of his Dark Shields to block one of Geni's attacks. Geni, on the other hand, spun her staff to and fro, lunging with it like a sword at one point but blocking with it like a shield at others. For the next several minutes it was hand-to-hand combat with their weapons, neither relying on their magic.

However, due to the broken ground and deep cavities around them, it was bound to happen sooner or later than one of them would trip. Geni was the first to misstep, her foot coming down on an angular piece of rock. As she fell slightly to the side whilst trying to regain her balance, Riku had been lunging in with his Keyblade, aiming for her arm. When she fell, though, his thrust missed and he ended up slashing Geni across her side, a deep gash running red with her blood.

Riku quickly pulled away as he saw this, but the damage was already done. Geni fell to her knee, one hand holding her side, already stained crimson. "I guess were even now," she said quietly with a wince. Slowly and steadily, she stood up and brushed her hand off on her pants leg, ignoring the wound. Both of them were now covered in miscellaneous cuts and bruises, scrapes and nicks, dirt covering their clothes and skin. Both were also breathing a little harder from going at it so hard. _If we both keep up at this pace for the entire match, it won't be a long one,_ she thought to herself. _Better try a diversion._

"Are you alright?" Riku asked her, concerned.

"I'm fine. Let's go," she answered him abruptly. Leaping back twenty feet or so, Geni kneeled down and placed both of her hands on the ground. Murmuring to herself, her hands began to glow with a green light. Riku quickly looked and sensed around him for her attack. Feeling a slight rumbling beneath him, he quickly jumped high into the air. But it was too late – several large green vines, as big around as his fist – shot up into the air and tried to catch him. He dodged several, before one happened to catch his foot. It plucked him out of the air like a bird and pulled him down, slamming him into the ground and making a large dust cloud.

Cheering exploded once again from the stands at Geni's attack. Sora peered, trying to see through the dust cloud. He was beginning to worry about his best friend and sister; both of them had given each other semi-serious injuries, and it looked like neither was going to let up until the other bit the dust. "Where is he?" he murmured quietly, trying to see if Riku was okay. The vines were waving around the arena floor, keep guard around the perimeter of the cloud.

"I hope he's okay," Kairi said quietly. She had finally decided to watch the match, at least a little. Kairi hated the thought of her two friends fighting each other in such a boorish manner, yet she felt that neither was still giving it their all.

"Riku's tough," Sora said proudly. "And so is Geni. They'll both pull through, I just know it."

Geni peered through the cloud, keeping her vines at the ready as she prepared her next attack. One hand she kept on the ground, feeding her magic gently into the roots below her; the other hand was raised, palm up, with a small sphere of red glowing forebodingly upon it. She knew her attack hadn't been that strong – and as soon as the vine and Riku had hit the ground she had felt some resistance. _Where is he? I can't wait forever_, she thought impatiently.

A wispy breeze suddenly picked up through one of the open archways, lightly blowing away the dust. As it cleared, a purplish-black dome covered Riku as he unsteadily rose to his feet. He sported a cut to the side of his head, blood dripping slowly down the side of his scowling face. Several cheers were intermixed between many boo's in the audience, whereas his friends were silent because they did not wish to root for one side or the other. "Well that was unexpected," he sighed. The side of his head throbbed slightly with every beat of his heart, and he felt his balance was a little off. Even using one of his Dark Shields to buffer the impact, he still hit the ground like a missile. Dusting off his clothes, he looked ahead to see Geni still kneeling, a smirk on her face.

"Had enough?" she called.

"I'm just getting started," he replied.

"Don't get cocky yet," she said with a smile, and waved an empty hand towards him.

Riku's eyes narrowed, his senses suddenly picking up a whooshing sound from all around him. Almost immediately several dozen red spheres were flying at him from all sides. Riku dodged, picking up his pace as the spheres followed him like a flock of birds around the field. Geni had retracted her vines around her like a cage to protect herself from the spheres. Riku watched as one of them bumped into one of the vines, which started to turn a sickly green and droop towards the ground. _That's not good_, Riku thought to himself, dodging the spheres with even more zeal.

Geni controlled the spheres not just with her hand, but with her eyes as well, watching for areas that Riku might head to next. Her attack, if it touched her opponent, would begin to drain their life force almost immediately. It was not a fast attack, and lowered it gradually, but that was the beauty of it. By the time whoever had been hit by the spheres realized this, it would be too late – even if they consumed several Elixirs right away.

Riku was beginning to tire, being chased by the red spheres. He decided to see if he could make them cancel each other out. He turned quickly and unleashed his Dark Firaga, sending blue fireballs towards the red spheres. While they destroyed a few of them, Riku jumped and soared, changing his direction so he was heading to Geni's slight left. As he neared her cage of vines, he suddenly changed directions and shot towards her. He could see Geni's eyes widen as she muttered something, and quickly brought her vines even closer together. Just as Riku was about to slam into them, he rolled right onto the ground and out of the way of the attack. The red spheres bombarded the living shield, disappearing one by one as they hit. The vines, being hit by so many spheres, immediately shrunk and drooped over, practically dead. Geni quickly raised her hands in a shield around herself, losing her control over the vines and the spheres. The few that were left hit the shimmering wall, disappearing upon contact.

Geni breathed deeply, her heart pounding with the intensity of the attack upon her shield. "Too close," she said to herself. Standing up, she almost fell down due to the sudden overwhelming dizziness. She swayed for a moment before looking down. Her wound was still bleeding – not a profuse amount of blood loss – but enough that she would be hindered for the rest of the battle unless she took care of it. Her hand began to glow green, but before she could use it, she sensed Riku running up behind her. She held out her hand, and her staff immediately flew into it, allowing her to turn around in a flash to block The Way To The Dawn.

"Interesting attack," Riku said, grinding his teeth as he pushed his Keyblade against her staff.

"Thanks," she huffed back at him. "But this is starting to get irritating. You need to get rid of that Keyblade so I can finish this."

"Good luck with that," Riku chuckled.

"Why thank you," Geni said as she suddenly pulled her staff apart. A chain connected the two ends, which she promptly caught Riku's Keyblade in. She swung the two ends of her staff around it, and pulled tight. Riku tried pulling it out of the chains grasp, but he couldn't make it budge an inch.

"I didn't know your staff could do that," he said with a small smile.

"Well, I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" she replied cheekily. With one good tug, Geni pulled Riku's Keyblade out of his hands and sent it flying over their heads. Once done, Geni switched her hands from the ends of the staff to the two foot section of chain in the middle, and began to rotate the ends until both were spinning around her like a buzz saw. She took a step towards Riku, watching carefully as he took a step back himself while eying up his Keyblade.

"Well done, well done!" the woman with the blue sash exclaimed when Geni disarmed Riku. "Excellent move."

The man made a chortled noise in the back of his throat. "Don't praise her just yet. That boy always seems to have two backup plans for every attack she throws at him."

The queen nodded. "True, yet both of them are fighting quite well." She listened to the mixture of praise and condemnation aimed at the field. "However, it still seems the popular opinion is still divided," she murmured quietly to her aides.

"After all this time…" the woman sighed. "I can't believe how some still stick to the old ways, calling this period of change rebellious."

"They need to have a swift kick in the –" the man started before the queen cut him off with a glare. "Sorry, your majesty," he said quietly.

"I know how both of you feel about this, but for right now the most important thing is occurring directly below us. And if her last move is any indication, the match should be over quite soon."

Down on the field, Riku had tried several times to get past Geni's spinning staff. He ran circles around her, dodging left and right to throw her off his course. In the end, he resorted to the most basic technique of retrieving his Keyblade: calling it back to him with his heart. So now, Keyblade in hand once more, the two of the stood at a face-off. Beginning to grow battle weary from the continuous use of physical and magical attacks, added to the wounds which were slowly sapping their strength, both combatants were almost at the end of their ropes.

Riku blinked, blood and sweat intermingling and getting in his eyes. His wounds weren't serious, just annoying. He and Geni were at a standoff yet again. They were just too evenly matched to defeat each other quickly. He quickly considered his options. _Well, standing here isn't doing much good. Blow for blow, spell for spell, we've been equally matched and trying to outsmart the other. So far, that's done nil. What now?_ Riku blinked again, trying to think of a way out of his current predicament.

Geni had the exact same thoughts as Riku. She didn't have as many open wounds as he did, but the one on her side was slowly taking its toll on her. Riku was as good as she always knew he was; not many could take her on at full strength and last this long – she doubted Sora could. On the other hand, Geni knew she wouldn't have been able to face Sora as well as she had with Riku. She cared for both of them deeply, one more so than the other, but still... Geni took a deep breath, or as much of one as she could due to the deep cut. Knowing she had to end the fight soon, she took a chance.

Geni suddenly disappeared. Riku looked around wildly, trying to sense her presence on the battlefield, but it was gone. _Did the teleport somewhere? Or was she just that fast that I couldn't sense her?_ All of a sudden, Riku felt something hard hit his back and send him flying across the field, tumbling into the dirt until he flipped himself over and skidded back on his feet. Geni was coming at him again with her buzz saw like staff – this time, just spinning one of the ends and holding onto the other. He placed his Keyblade straight out in front of him as she bore down upon him. The Keyblade caught the spinning staff squarely and it bounced off of it, halting the deadly rotation. Geni brought it back to her, snapping the two ends of the staff back into place and spinning it around several times. Once more, she took off and fought against Riku, attacking him alternatively with each end of the staff and forcing him to block both with his Keyblade.

While they grappled – the crowd cheering them on, their friends watching with worry – several of the Imperial Council conversed quietly. "At this rate, they'll never finish," one complained quietly.

"Quiet. What we really need to worry about is if that brat's friend beats her. She can't throw the fight – everyone here would see it immediately. On the other hand, she _can_ use up all her magic and strength right away leaving her more defenseless against his weaker attacks, making it easy for him to win. I bet that was her plan all along."

"Clever, considering the source," another one said, glancing towards the battle. He looked to the worried speaker. "I do not doubt you have a backup plan, but what about our primary goal?"

"That...has not changed," they said. "Everything is still going according to plan. Now, be quiet." The three of them turned to the match.

During their conversation, Geni had turned the tables and was quickly backing Riku against a wall. He was breathing heavily, his Keyblade weighty in his hands, as he watched Geni approach him. She had her staff pointed directly at him, ready for the finishing blow. "You gave a good fight," she said to him. "But now it's time to end this." Suddenly, a long blade shot out of the end of her staff, nearly a foot and a half long. It shone in the sunlight, casting flickers on the wall behind Riku. She continued to advance slowly up to him.

High above the Queen and her guests saw Geni expose the blade out of the end of her staff. Fierce roars filled the stadium from this simple act as the crowd waited for the final blow and the victor to present themselves.

_Damn it! Now what?_ Riku thought quickly. He didn't have any room to move, and Geni was about to finish him off. _I have to do something!_ He suddenly took a last ditch effort and used the last of his magic to cast Defender and Second Chance upon himself. Geni saw this, stopping. They were about thirty feet away from each other in a complete stand-off, neither moving nor blinking, as they stood: Riku with his Keyblade over his head, one hand in front of him; Geni gripping her staff with one hand, pointing it directly at Riku. The crowd suddenly hushed, feeling the intense amount of energy suddenly manifesting on the field between the two of them. Riku began to glow a soft blue, while Geni glowed a deep purple. The ground rumbled slightly due to the energy they were now gathering for one last final attack on each other.

"Here it comes," Sora said quietly. All five of them were watching the field to their left intently, waiting for who would strike first. He had seen Riku once put all of his power into an attack, when they were fighting Xemnas, but he had never seen his sister. Both his best friend and his sister not only felt but looked powerful, their hair and clothes moving from an invisible wind around them.

Like lightning, the two of them suddenly dashed towards each other, weapons at the ready. Time seemed to slow down as they drew nearer and nearer to each other, weapons raised, steps elongated. Riku and Geni's eyes locked, seeing the remorse reflected in aquamarine and ocean blue respectively.

Seconds later, a large flash of light blinded everyone in the domed arena, forcing them to squint and rub their eyes. Sora quickly blinked away the spots and hurriedly stood up to see what had happened. The entire arena was silent, watching and waiting.

Geni and Riku stood a short distance away from each other, opposite the direction they had been before the flash of light. Neither had moved; both were in a final offensive stance.

Riku's mind was slowly coming down from the rush of adrenaline to his system. The first thing to register in his mind was the growing pain in his shoulder. He turned his head to look at his left shoulder, which sported a broad gash that was bleeding rather copiously. Other than that, he was perfectly fine.

Geni, on the other hand, just smiled. "You...won..." she whispered as a trickle of blood ran out the side of her mouth. Riku turned around just as he heard the metallic _clunk_ of Geni's staff falling to the ground just before she did. With wide eyes he watched her slowly fall, her eyes closing, as her body hit the ground with a dull _thud_.

Dowager Queen Hisako stood slowly. While many faces were still trained to the fallen warrior, she spoke slowly. "The winner is...Riku Tamohara," she said slowly, but loud and clear to everyone there. The dome erupted with sound, shrieks and shouts intermingled with cheers and congratulations all around. People stood up and raised their fists to the sky, pumping them up and down while chanting Riku's name.

Down below, The Way To The Dawn disappeared out of Riku's hands, returning into his being. He used his right hand to clamp down on his shoulder, the blood still flowing. He staggered the few steps forward, his body and mind in shock. Geni lay on the ground, a small pool of blood forming underneath her. Her head faced him, and he could see that her eyes were closed. A small smile lay upon her pale lips, the small stream of crimson staining her chin.

"What have I done...?" he whispered to himself. As he stood there in shock, Geni's body suddenly disappeared with a poof. Before he could register what had happened, the same thing happened to him. Darkness, comforting and warm, enveloped his mind and he knew no more.


	18. Many Houses, No Homes

Chapter 17

"Where did they go?" Sora asked frantically, searching the arena. He had begun to panic when Geni fell, for he could feel her fading now that their link was reestablished; he had panicked even more so when both of them disappeared into a puff of smoke. "Where are they? We need to go and help them!" he cried.

"Please calm down," the woman in the blue sash said as she walked up to them. She placed her hands on Sora's shoulders, and smiled at him. Sora took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "Your sister and your friend have both been sent to the Healers where they will be cared for. They should be good as new within the hour."

"Thank goodness," Sora said quietly, his fear lifting.

"You should be very proud of them both," the older man said as he came to join them. "Both of them fought extremely well. You have certainly earned your reward."

"Thank you," Sora replied hesitantly. "But all I would like to do now, if you do not mind, is to see that Riku and Geni are both alright."

"That can be arranged, young man," the Queen answered as she walked to the small group. The man and the woman stepped out of the way, allowing the Queen to address the five. "I will have your guide take you to the Healing Pavilion where you will find both of them with our best Healer's. After that, you will be staying with your sister. Your request to delve through our archives and such will begin starting tomorrow. I trust this is satisfactory?" she asked them, looking at each one in turn.

"Thank you, your majesty," King Mickey replied earnestly.

The queen smiled at him. "I know how you must feel, King Mickey, seeing your foster daughter injured like that." She looked over to Sora. "And your sister as well. Do not fret – she is in very capable hands at this very moment. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have other imperial duties to attend to." She nodded to them before turning around, her two aides following closely behind her as they exited through the doorway in which they had originally entered.

"Are you ready to go?" The group turned to see that their guide had returned. "Her majesty asked me to escort all five of you to the Healer's Pavilion to see your friends."

"Yes, please," Sora said quickly.

"Then follow me." Their guide turned and began to walk back down the carpeted runway towards the ground. The people in the stands slowly dispersed through the many doorways, trickling out while discussing the incredible match they had just witnessed. Also, many members of the council were standing around talking, a few occasionally throwing a "congratulations" towards them as they passed.

Kairi had quickly joined Sora once they were underway and intertwined her fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze for reassurance. He looked at her gratefully. "Kairi," he began softly.

"Hey, don't worry. Everyone says that both of them will be fine. So put that goofy grin I love back on," she said teasingly. Sora smiled widely just for her, making her giggle softly.

"Thanks Kairi," he said.

King Mickey, on the other hand, walked in silence. Donald and Goofy saw that he was frowning, which means he was thinking about something important, so neither of them bothered him. They began to discuss the buildings around them, and what the people were wearing and the differences they could spot between them. All the while, King Mickey pondered to himself. _I wonder what the Queen meant by 'staying with Geni,'_ he contemplated.

Within minutes the group was heading back out through another archway, this one on the opposite side of the dome in which they had entered. After another long walk through the darkness, the group entered back out into the light of a bright and sunny afternoon. Sora was amazed at the difference between this area and the one they had walked through to get to the stadium. This path was not enclosed and bare, but more of a main thoroughfare. The street was empty of people, but the stalls lined up and down it indicated otherwise. "This is normally a very busy market," their guide said, gesturing around them. "But until the six of you have registered yourselves with the Public Safety branch of the Defense Assembly, you may not come into contact with any civilians and such. However, this _is_ the fastest path to the Healer's Pavilion. We should be there momentarily."

The group was heading towards the large buildings they had seen from the gummi ship which were located behind the dome. As they drew nearer, walking down the winding street, the buildings seemed to grow exponentially. Turning a corner, the group saw a stone gate with two people standing guard on each side of it. "Hello!" their guide called out happily as they drew near.

The one guard cleared their throat loudly, the other covering their mouth while trying not to laugh out loud. Both of them were covered from head to toe in silver armor, quite different from the clothing everyone they had seen so far had worn. The armor fit the curves of their bodies well, looking extremely flexible yet durable. The warrior on the right had a long spear grasped in one hand and a sword strapped to their waist, while the warrior who had laughed had not just a sword but a bow and full quiver strapped to their back. "Ahem," the first guard said to their guide. She stopped and smiled at them. "Are you taking these five to the Healer's Pavilion?" a man asked.

"Of course. Where else would we be going?" she retorted, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh, don't mind him," the other person said, a woman. "He's just cranky because we had to be on duty during the match. Everyone said it was really good," she said excitedly.

"Oh, it was! I'll tell you about it later when you're off duty," their guide said to the guard. "You _are_ still coming, right?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it!" the other replied. "But if you don't hurry, none of you will make it."

"In other words, get going," the man said, turning his head away.

"Yes sir!" said the girl, placing her right hand over her left fist. The woman warrior laughed as their guide motioned for the others to follow her.

King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Sora, and Kairi had been watching the interaction with interest. "It seems not everything here is all pomp and circumstance," Sora whispered to Kairi as they passed under the large stone arch and entered an enormous complex. Most of the large buildings were contained in this area, with pathways crisscrossing all over the place, with several park-like areas interspersed between them. As before, there was no one out and about; Sora did notice, however, that he could see people inside the buildings watching them out of glass windows.

"This way," their guide called, heading towards a tall building to their left. "This is the main wing of the Healer's Pavilion. Your sister and friend would have been sent to the Emergency Ward, which is just through these doors," she said as they walked, coming ever closer to the front of the building.

"Just like at home," Kairi commented softly.

A large pair of glass doors slid open soundlessly as they neared them. Once inside, they entered into an open, circular room with a desk in the center. Hallways led off to their left, right, and behind the desk. And the décor? Everything – the walls, the chairs, and the floor – was a different shade of green. Sitting at the desk was another person, their head completely covered. Like their guide, this person was also decorated in tan and green attire. "Ah, welcome back," a young woman's voice said, standing. "We've been waiting for you."

"How are they?" Sora asked immediately, almost running up to the desk.

"Your friends have been with our best Healer's ever since they arrived. I know that your friend Riku has just woken up, and is waiting for you. Your sister, however, is still undergoing treatment but is almost finished."

"Thank goodness," Sora said, shoulders sagging.

The young woman laughed. "Let's assuage those doubts some more. Follow me, and I will take you to see Riku."

"Thank you," Kairi supplied for Sora, squeezing his hand gently.

The woman from behind the desk pushed up on a section of countertop and stepped out of the small desk area. "Please, follow me," she said. She began to walk towards the hallway to their left. Leaving the reception area, several doors dotted the hallway until the group arrived at another station, where several persons were standing around the desk area. This time, however, they were wearing full over robes of green, instead of the poncho-like garments their guide and the woman from the reception desk was wearing. Their faces were still covered though. "Excuse me. The Queen's guests have arrived to see their friends," she told them.

The four people stopped their conversation, turning to look at them. "I see. Well, your one friend – Riku, was it? – has finished and is resting. Your sister, however," the woman who was currently speaking said as she turned to look at Sora, "will be with them for a little longer, due to the seriousness of her injuries. She should be finished in about fifteen minutes," she added quickly, seeing Sora's sagging face. "Your friend is over in room 116," she finished, pointing to the room across from them. "All of you can go right on in."

"Thank you," the receptionist said for them. "Please follow me," she said to the group. She quickly walked around the desk and towards the specified room, knocking twice on the door.

"Come in," they heard Riku call. The receptionist opened and held the door for them as the five of them quickly trotted into the room, closing it gently behind them. Riku was sitting on a small bed, looking out a window at a large tree growing outside. He turned towards the group, a small smile on his face. "Hi everybody," he said.

Kairi ran up to him, throwing her arms around him. "You're okay!" she cried, before she pushed him away to look him over. "And all of your injuries are gone as well!"

"Glad to see that you're okay," Sora added from the foot of the bed.

"So am I," Riku admitted.

"What happened after you…defeated Geni?" King Mickey asked, worried.

Riku looked away and out the window, before answering slowly. "It's all still a little fuzzy, but I remember after our last parry an enormous gash in my shoulder. I…saw Geni fell, and then everyone started cheering. Then she suddenly disappeared, and apparently so did I. The next thing I knew, I woke up here – all of my injuries were healed, and all of my clothes looked brand new. Someone came in and told me that all of you would be here shortly, and they asked me if I needed anything. That's about it until you arrived," he finished. Looking down, his knuckles white from gripping the bed, he asked quietly, "How's Geni?"

"The people outside said she was still with the Healers, but that she was just fine," Kairi said to him with a reassuring smile.

"Thank goodness," Riku said, exhaling the breath he was unaware he had been holding. "I didn't want to fight her from the start. When she revealed her staff, I thought someone was just playing a prank on me. But when she took off her hood and attacked me, reality hit me rather forcefully."

"Well, that's one of _several_ questions we'll be asking her," King Mickey said. They all turned to look at him. "Something tells me there is more going on here than it seems. And the key to unlocking that mystery is through Geni. When she wakes up, we need to have a long conversation with her."

"I agree," Sora said firmly. "It might explain her strange behavior before and after her trip with Queen Minnie."

"Strange behavior?" King Mickey asked, his eyebrows raised. "Like what?"

"She was distancing herself from us," Sora continued. "And she kept speaking in puzzles, never giving a whole answer. She also told me something about having to leave Destiny Islands, and it was going to be when you came for us, King Mickey. Somehow Geni knew in advance this was going to happen."

"Really," King Mickey said, frowning. "This day continues to grow stranger."

"Geni also mentioned that she had wanted to tell me something just before you arrived," Riku interjected. "Could it be related to this, do you think?"

"Definitely," Sora said. "Geni told me to keep it a secret from everyone, but that she was going to tell you before it happened – King Mickey's early arrival interrupted that, I think."

"Why all the secrecy though?" Kairi interposed. "Whatever she didn't want to tell us must have something to do with this place."

_Knock, knock._ "Excuse me, but may I come in?" the woman Healer from before called.

"Yes," Riku called.

The door opened, and the woman entered. "A representative from the Defense Assembly is here to register the six of you, to allow our people to interact with you." A large person entered the room behind her, carrying a large box. "He will register you with Public Safety, and by the time you are done your sister should be as well."

"All right," an older man's voice said through his thick hood. "Your majesty, if you please," he asked, setting the box down on a small table. King Mickey walked over to him just as he pulled out a strange device from inside of the box. It had a small glowing orb in the center of it surrounded by several circles making it looks like a small planet. "Just relax," the man said to him, holding the object over his head.

The small orb began to glow as the man let go of it, pulsing every few seconds. The circles also began to rotate around it like a gyroscope. Once spinning fast enough, the orb began to emit circles of light that would float down around King Mickey from his toes to the tips of his ears. "Heh, that tickles," he said with a chuckle.

"Almost finished," the man reassured him, peering at a small screen that was attached to the lid of the box. In a minute, the rings retracted into the small orb and the circles stopped gyrating. "All done," he announced proudly, grasping the object from the air before it fell on the small king's head.

"What was that for?" Sora asked, intrigued.

"It stores all sorts of data on a person. For example, basic information like their name, age, height, weight, hair color, eye color, blood type, species, what world their from. It also records magical data, power levels, relatives, family history, rank, education level, job, and so forth."

"All from one little scan?"

"Yes – except that most of your personal history won't be recorded unless you would like to reveal it. Now all of King Mickey's information is stored, we can give him an authorization pass card."

"What's that?" Kairi asked.

"Well…" the man said, thinking. He suddenly snapped his fingers. "On your world it is like an identification card and credit card all rolled into one. You use it to enter different places around the city, use public transportation, and buy things like food as well. It is our way of making sure everyone stays safe and sound."

"Handy," Donald quacked.

"Well, it's your turn now," the man said, beckoning him over. He repeated the process with Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Riku. Sora was the last to go. As the man placed the small machine over his head and the rings of light began to descend over him, a small beeping noise began coming from the box.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked him worriedly.

"Oh, it's nothing," the man answered, waving him off. He pressed several buttons, and the beeping stopped and the scan finished. Taking back the small machine, he placed it back into the box. "Don't worry; there was just some duplicate information in the system that I had to override."

"Oh," Sora said.

"That doesn't happen to be information on Geni now, does it?" Riku asked cautiously.

The man pointedly ignored him. Pushing a button on the screen, six bleeps were heard. He reached down into the box and pulled out six small cards. Turning, he gave them each one. "This is your pass. Keep it with you everywhere you go." On each card there was a picture of the card holder, as well as their name. A series of strange runes in several different colors decorated the middle of the card, and a black barcode adorned the very bottom of it. "My job is done. Good luck to all of you." He said, flipping the lid closed and walking out the door.

"I apologize for his behavior," the doctor said, turning to face them. Her hood was now off, and the five of them could see that she was older with some gray hair. She had waited quietly and patiently by the far wall of the room as the man did his work. "Now that you have those cards, please take good care of them. They have a special authorization written into them by the Queen to allow all of you into the archives. Alright then – we're finished here. Please follow me."

The woman walked out of the door and into the hallway. The group quickly followed her out the door and back by the desk. A younger woman sat at the desk, bright auburn hair pulled up into a bun with a small flower pinned in it. "She's ready," a woman called from the desk, never looking up as she sorted through papers.

"Thank you. Is she still in the room?"

"The others are in talking with her. Just knock," she said, grabbing another stack from next to her while reading a paper in her other hand.

"Figures," the woman said with a laugh. "Please, follow me," she said to the group behind her. She turned to her right and began to walk down a different hallway than the one the group had entered in. As they passed by a few doors, they heard several people talking and laughing down the hall. A sudden silence was followed by raucous laughter and someone trying to defend themselves from scrutiny.

"In here," the woman said, stopping outside of the door where the voices were coming from. She knocked several times before someone cracked the door open.

"Oh! They're here already!" their guide from before said, turning her head into the room.

"Well let them in then," they heard Geni call. The guide opened the door up all the way, allowing the group a view of Geni lying on a bed surrounded by several women. The style of clothing they all wore was quite similar, with the exception of the embroidered skirts – many of the symbols and colors used were quite varied.

"Geni!" Sora cried, dashing into the room. He bounded around the women sitting on chairs and enveloped her in an enormous hug. Several of them giggled, and Sora immediately pulled away, his face a little pink.

"Nice to see you again too Sora," Geni said with a grin. "Is it time to go already?"

"I guess," he replied, uncertain. He quickly looked her up and down; as it had been with Riku, she had no cuts or scars, and there wasn't a trace of blood on her clothes. Her face was a little pale, but that was all. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To have dinner, of course," one of the girls said.

"Is it that late already?" Geni asked her. "I suppose so then." She sat up and threw her legs over the side of the small bed. Sora stood next to her with a worried look on his face.

"How are you feeling?" the Healer asked her.

"Fine, thank you," Geni replied with a small smile.

"You know, I was thinking. Why don't you take your friends on the ferry?" the Healer suggested. "It's a great way to see the city."

Geni frowned. "I suppose so. It'll take longer, but…"

"Oh, do it! You can take them below deck to watch too!" one of the girls said excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Alright then," Geni said. "The ferry it is. We had better hurry though – the next ferry from the Central Quarter will leave in ten minutes and I don't feel like getting squished." She stood up. "I'll see you all later, I suppose?" she said, turning to look at the girls.

"Of course! We'll be around after dinner," their guide promised her. "Everyone knows your back by now, so be careful," she said, walking over to give her a big hug. She stood up and looked at Sora. "Have fun," she said with a wink.

"We will," Sora said, swallowing nervously.

"Come on, let's go Sora," Geni said as she gently led him towards the door. She caught Riku's eye as she passed him, but immediately looked away. "Follow me," she said to everyone. She quickly walked down the hall, leaving the women behind in the small room.

"He's gorgeous, I'll give her that," one of the girls sighed when the group left. "Can I have him after she's done?"

"Hush now," the Healer scolded them. "Things are bad enough without that kind of talk. Be supportive, not condescending, tonight. Alright?"

"We will," the younger women chorused.

Geni silently lead the group down a dizzying maze of hallways until they reached the area where they had first walked into the Emergency Ward of the Healer's Pavilion. Walking out of the doors, there was suddenly a massive amount of people walking around. Without skipping a beat, Geni continued walking down the main path and turned towards the stone archway. Several people waved or gave their greetings to her and her friends, and Geni either gave a curt vocal acknowledgement or nodded to them. No one seemed insulted or hurt by these actions, which made Sora wonder. He looked at his twin as they walked together, seeing her impassive face and blank stare. "So..." he started, as they walked out from under the archway.

"So what?" Geni answered immediately.

"Where are we going?" Kairi asked from behind her.

"To the ferry," she replied. She continued walking in silence, giving the occasional greetings to those who gave it to her.

"I think Sora meant after that," Riku cut in gently. He stepped up so he was walking next to her, and Sora dropped back to walk next to Kairi, confused by his twin's lack of speech and feeling. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy brought up the rear, only because they continued to gape at their surroundings. Besides the sheer number of people around them, all of the stalls they passed contained goods they had never seen before, and some that sort of looked like things from home. Strange animals that suspiciously looked like chocobo's pulled carts past while smaller versions of them pulled tiny prams with a driver and several people sitting in it.

Riku looked down at Geni, seeing her stony face. "What's wrong?" he asked her quietly.

She looked up at him. "Nothing. Why do you ask?" She turned her head to look in front of her once more, turning off of the main street they had been walking on to continue onto a less crowded one.

"Because all of us are worried about you," he answered gently. Geni walked in silence. "None of this is making any sense, and it seems that you're the one with all of the answers."

"No I'm not," she answered shortly. Looking around, she said, "We're almost at the ferry. Get out your pass cards."

Riku obediently dug into his pocket, retrieving the small white card he had been given. The group had just exited the street they had been walking on and found themselves at a dead end in front of a canal. The street branched and ran along the canal, shops and street vendors intermingling and shouting their wares to the masses. Down in the water boats scurried up and down it, people heading to and from who knows where. Geni quickly walked up behind a small line in front of a larger ship with two levels to it, many people already on it. Riku quickly walked up behind her, Sora, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy directly behind him. "The ferryman will scan your card and then we'll board. Don't get separated from me or we'll miss our stop," she said, turning to face them. "Got it?"

"Geni," King Mickey began.

She sighed. "Look, I promise to answer all of your questions later. Just, not here, alright?" Her expression softened slightly, and she gave them a small smile.

"Alright then," King Mickey replied, assuaged for the moment. "We'll follow you."

"Good. Let's go then." She turned around as the line slowly moved forward. One by one, a man scanned each card as the passengers embarked onto the ship. When it came to be Geni's turn, he looked up and smiled broadly.

"Well, well. If my most valuable customer hasn't finally returned! Heading home, are we?" he asked her with a wink as he took her card from her outstretched hand.

"Yes I am Jalin. Busy today?" she asked as she took her card back from him.

"As usual after a big event. So, who are your friends?" he asked, eying the line behind her.

"Friends and family," she said with a shrug as she stepped onto the plank. Riku handed him his card next, and he passed it under a glowing stone next to him.

"There ya go," Jalin said, giving him back his card. "Is this your first trip on the ferry?"

"Yes sir," he answered formally.

"Sir?! The name is Jalin, kid; I'm not as old as my father yet," he said pointedly but with a laugh. He waved him on. "Hurry up and get on." Jalin proceeded to scan Sora – after giving him a strange look, Kairi, King Mickey, and Donald. When he proceeded to scan Goofy's card, the stone turned red and beeped once. "Whoops, sorry fellow. The ferry is at full capacity." He turned to look at the others who had stopped boarding when they had heard the announcement.

"What? Full already?" Geni asked, coming back down the plank.

"Sorry. Looks like your friend will have to wait for the next ferry."

Geni shook her head. "No. Why don't I give up my place on the ferry for Goofy?"

"Hmm. Well I'm sure Iara or Naida could use a break," he murmured to himself, rubbing his chin. "Well, why not. They'll hook you up. Hurry on up the plank," he said to Goofy, "and we'll cast off."

"What about Geni?" Goofy asked, worried.

Geni put a hand on Goofy's shoulder. "I'll see you later. I'm going to go and help pull the ferry instead. So go on with the others. Jalin, could I ask you a favor? Could you make sure they get off at my stop?"

"Sure thing. Hurry up or we'll be late," he advised her as he walked onto the ferry.

"Going," Geni called.

Goofy joined the others on the lower deck of the ferry and watched as the man called Jalin undid the ropes tying them to the small dock and closed the main gate. "One minute until disembarking!" he called. "You six follow me," he said to the group. Sora, Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald followed Jalin towards the middle of the boat until they came to a small stairway that led to beneath the main deck. Goofy looked back once more to where he had last seen Geni standing on the dock, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, uh, excuse me Mr. Jalin," Goofy began.

"Yeah, what is it?" he called from in front of them as they descended into the semi darkness.

"Where's Geni?"

"You'll see. Now hurry up." They had entered into a decent sized room that had many glass windows all around them. Lights above them cast a soft glow upon several instruments to the front and a steering wheel. Jalin walked to this and began to press several buttons and flip a few levers. Reaching above him, he grabbed some kind of microphone and spoke into it. "Ready girls?"

A speaker next to the microphone began to vibrate slightly as a woman's silky voice spoke into it. "Just finished Jalin. We're ready to go."

"Good. Get down here and we'll get underway." He put the microphone back and turned around. "Enjoying the view?" he asked them.

Sora was fascinated by the underwater scenery around them. Seaweed grew in clumps in places, but for the most part the canal was just a clear sandy bottom. Small fish and the occasional large one swam by them in a multitude of colors. "It's beautiful!" Kairi said softly as she and Sora watched.

"Ah, here come my girls," Jalin suddenly said. Riku looked from his window to the front of the ship and nearly had a heart attack. Three merpeople swam into view in front of the ship, two of them waving at them. All three were female, two of them much larger than the third. The two larger ones had green tails, one having silver marking down their sides while the other had gold. Besides the main part of the tail, they had wavy fins running down from their lower backs to the tips of their tails. On their torsos, net like material covered their chests while their hair floated loosely in the water. Unlike when Riku had turned into a merperson with Geni, his skin had stayed pink. The skin on these mermaids' was tinted a silvery shade of light green with large gills flapping behind their ears.

The smaller mermaid's tail was a brilliant shade of emerald, with a purple streak down her front. Her extra fin down her backside was a deep purple as well. The netting like the other two covered her torso, and her gills fluttered softly behind her ears as she breathed in and out. Her skin was also the pale shade of shimmering green. Unlike the other two, however, her hair was pulled back into a neat braid. Geni looked at them, her face unreadable.

"Wait...Geni's a mermaid again?!" Sora said incredulously, running to the front of the small cabin.

"Well, yeah," Jalin said, scratching his head. "How did you think the ferry was run? An engine of some kind?"

"I suppose so," King Mickey murmured, looking out at the three of them. "What is that attached to their midsections?" he asked, pointing.

A long rope or cable of some kind trailed from their middle's to somewhere above where the group was in the glass cabin. "That's how they pull us. Merpeople are some of the strongest creatures in the universe, you know," he told them with a wink. Reaching up for the microphone, he spoke into it. "Alright ladies! Time to shove off!"

The three mermaids waved and began to swim forward. They pulled hard for a moment, swishing their tails back a forth, until the ferry began to move with the current. Gently, the ferry started to move forward down the canal. Riku watched with fascination at this; the last time he had seen Geni as a mermaid, she looked quite different. "Why does she look so different now, compared to last time?" he said quietly to Sora.

"I don't know," he answered back. They watched Geni pull them along the canal, the undersides of other boats passing them on both sides of them. As they sailed smoothly down the canal, Sora decided to ask. "Excuse me Jalin. When we saw Geni as a mermaid before on our home world, she looked much different to the way she looks now. Why is that?"

Jalin turned for a moment to look at him, before smiling and answering. "Have you been to Atlantica, young man?"

"Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"This is your first trip here, right?" Sora nodded. "Well, Geni probably based her other form off of the basic idea you had gotten from Atlantica. The mermaids in this realm look a little different, which is why she looks like them instead of the ones in Atlantica. She's protecting the boundary of the worlds, and those who haven't come into contact with each other yet. Get my drift?"

"It does make sense," King Mickey murmured.

Jalin nodded, before turning around to steer the ferry. As they drifted down the canal, Jalin waved across to the occasional ferrymen and his own merpeople going the other way. Not all of the merpeople were female, either; at least half of them were male – splitting the work evenly between the two sexes.

Moments later, Jalin said to the group, "We're coming up on our first stop, so hang on." He pulled the microphone down. "Now approaching Market Street. Please have all pass cards ready for disembarking." He put the microphone back, pulling a lever next to the wheel up and down several times. The lever was attached to the pulley system that controlled the rope the mermaid's had around their waists. When Jalin pulled it, it let them know to slow down. Sora watched as the three of them began to backpedal with their tails furiously at first, but slowing down as the ferry began to slow in the water. "I have to go up top, so don't touch anything. Got it?" he asked them. They all vocalized or nodded their consent. "Good. Be back in a jiffy." Jalin quickly walked up the back stairs and up onto the deck.

Riku stared out the front window, watching as the three merpeople conversed as they floated in the water. Geni chatted with the two mermaids as if she had known them all her life; she also pulled the ferry expertly as if she had been working like that for a long time as well. At that moment, Riku felt many emotions running through him, but none more prevalent than confusion and a slight feeling of betrayal. He was a person who wanted answers, and in light of the day's events he knew he was owed several to say the least. Geni had been keeping secrets, large ones, from them for a long time and he wanted to find out _why_. He cared for her deeply, and because of that he worried about her safety and wellbeing in this strange world. He also wanted to know why, even though the two of them were so close, that she didn't trust him enough to tell him.

"Alright! Time to move on!" Jalin called as he descended back into the semi-darkness of the small cabin. He quickly walked over and grabbed the microphone. "Time to go ladies!" he said cheerfully. The mermaids looked back and waved at him before beginning to pull the ferry once more.

Even though it seemed a long time, no less than twenty minutes later the ferry arrived at the group's destination. "Now approaching Dawn Dwellings. I repeat, now approaching Dawn Dwellings." He pulled the lever several times before turning around. "Okay. This is your stop mates! Everybody off." Jalin herded the group to the stairs and above deck, where there were only a few people left.

"There were so many people before," Sora commented.

"Well, this is the second to last stop before my line ends and the regular residential ferries take over. Cards please," he said, hurrying to get in front of them at the gangplank. One by one, Riku, Sora, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy handed over the small white cards. Jalin passed them under the small stone and they were allowed to disembark.

"Hey, where's Geni?" Kairi asked, looking around. "If this is our stop, where is she?"

"Over there." Jalin pointed to some steps coming out of the water. "The girls' have to unhook her first, but she should be up momentarily."

Jalin's assumptions proved right, for within seconds a trail of bubbles made their way to the surface heading directly for the steps. At the base of them, a dark figure loomed under the water just before Geni's head surfaced. Her body glowed for a moment as she stepped out from the water, but when it died down she was a regular human again and her clothes were completely dry. She shook her head for a moment, before turning and seeing her friends and family waiting for her at the dock.

She quickly walked over to join them. "Thanks Jalin," she said gratefully.

"Hey, anytime little lady. You know the ferry always does travel faster when you help out," he said with a laugh.

"Jalin!" she cried, looking around.

Sora looked confused. "What? Does Geni do that often?"

Jalin looked at him, wiping his eye. "I can't remember how many times your sister here had to help pull the ferry because she had forgotten her pass. I'll never forget that first time; I swear, that _look_ on your face when I told you the punishment for it. I still think you kept forgetting it after that because you wanted to go swimming," he told her with a wink.

"Alright, enough stories Jalin. Thank you for looking after them for me," she said as she once again began to push a bewildered Sora away. "We'll probably see you tomorrow."

"Have fun!" he called to them as Geni lead the group away from the dock.

Geni shook her head, grunting softly. "Sometimes, that Jalin…"

"How beautiful!" Kairi suddenly cried out.

Geni looked up, seeing her residential district around them. "Well, welcome to Dawn Dwellings. We'll cross the bridge up ahead, and then it's just a short walk from there." The buildings all around them were smaller versions of the dome they had been in earlier that day, but much more round than oval. Occasionally long rectangular windows punctuated the soft brown stone, as well as large doorways leading into them. The sidewalks were tiled with a multi-colored red stone, with grass and flowers lining the path. The occasional tree punctuated the area around them. The sun had almost finished its trek down to the horizon, leaving a wonderful red-orange glow upon the buildings.

Geni pulled away from pushing Sora and took the lead. "This entire part of the city is completely residential; this sector is for the younger adults who do not live with their families anymore but have not been married yet."

"You mean in each one of these buildings only lives one person?" Goofy asked incredulously.

"No. They're communal dwellings; each residence usually has up to fifteen people living in it. Each one of them is like a large apartment building, usually with a communal kitchen and common room, besides a laundry facility. This is the bridge," Geni indicated as she turned left and began to walk over a narrow bridge that rose high above the canal. Three people could walk comfortably abreast, and a small but sturdy railing enclosed both sides for safety. As they descended to the other side, many people Geni's age and slightly older could be seen walking around, some chatting or carrying items. Many of them shouted greetings to her which, unlike before, Geni called back a little more warmly saying more than one word to them. Geni headed down the cobblestone path to her left as soon as it forked several ways.

Riku, as soon as there was room, made his way up to walk next to Geni. "So..." he began. "Since were staying with you supposedly, does that mean you live in one of these buildings?" he asked carefully.

Geni was quiet for a moment before answering. "I suppose the easiest way to answer your question would be yes – I do have a permanent residence here."

"But do you _live_ here?" Riku asked again, putting more emphasis on it.

"I live in a lot of places: Disney Castle, Destiny Islands, Radiant Garden, here. Pick one," she answered, turning her head away from him.

"Geni," Riku said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Stop talking in circles and just talk."

"Here we are!" Geni suddenly said, changing the topic. They had walked around many of the buildings, following the path for a good mile or so into the area known as Dawn Dwellings, until they came to yet another building that looked exactly the same as all of the others. As they had walked, the number of people outside had dwindled and more could be seen and heard inside of the buildings as the sun set even more.

"This is where you live?" Sora asked, eying the building.

"Yes. Now come on – dinner should be almost ready, and I have to get your room assignments." Geni quickly walked down the path that was lined with small red flowers up to a large arch-shaped door. A small panel next to the door lit up red when she stepped onto a large rectangle below the door. Geni placed her hand on it, turning the panel from red to green. Half of the door opened and Geni gestured for her friends. "Come on in. They won't bite...at least I hope not," she added hastily – but with a laugh – as she stepped through the doorway.


	19. Trouble In Paradise

_All credits and lyrics belong to Cascada; __I do not own or claim to have written any of them, and have no affiliation with them whatsoever. I also do not own or claim to have written or choreographed any of the dances listed, and have no affiliation with them whatsoever either._

Chapter 18

Riku slowly walked in, looking around. A small hallway and a door to his immediate right was all he could see, but the hallway straight away opened up into a large courtyard filled with several medium sized trees and bushes, as well as a number of large, colorful pots filled with a variety of flowers. The center of the circular courtyard was made of the same type of cobbled stones as the pathway, with several comfortable looking chairs and large cushions around its perimeter.

Hearing a _click_, Riku turned around to see that everyone had finally entered. Geni turned to another panel on the left side of the door where there were two long rows of squares. The top squares had symbols written into them, while the bottom squares were lit either green or red. All of them were green save for four of them. Geni placed her hand on one of them, turning it green like the rest. "All done," Geni sighed, turning to face them. She smiled brightly. "Well, let's get the introductions over with. Let's see," Geni said as she began walking into the courtyard. "Five, four, three, two, one..."

"GENI!" a girl shrieked as she came barreling from across the way and into her. "You're back, you're back, you're back!" she kept on shouting as she squeezed said girl.

"Hello...Elwen," Geni managed to gasp out.

A stampede could suddenly be heard from all around them. Faces could suddenly be seen peeking out over balcony ledges. Shouts of happiness and greetings were suddenly thrown down as those faces materialized into people as they came running into the courtyard. Young men and women alike crowded around Geni, hugging and laughing with her. One woman had even jumped down from five floors up and landed gracefully on her feet before she dashed into the fray.

Geni's face was bright and happy, a large smile going from ear to ear. "Guys, guys!" she finally shouted, laughing. "Let me introduce everyone first!"

"Oi! You mean your friends here?" one of the men called out, stepping over to look at them. He was Geni's height, with a shock of spiky red hair pulled back into a ponytail. His deep crimson eyes contradicted the childish playfulness he exuded. "Hey, you're the guy who beat Geni!" He leaned in near Riku. "So tell me, what's your secret?"

"Secret?" Riku responded, looking puzzled.

"That's enough Tetsu," Geni said as she walked over to them. "Everyone, this is Riku Tamohara, Kairi Ruka, my foster father King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and my brother, Sora Akeno," she said as she placed her hands on each of their shoulders as she said their names. "They're going to be staying with us while they do some research at the archives."

"Well then, welcome to our humble abode," one of the older women said as she pushed through the crowd to come stand in front of them. She was quite tall, even taller than Riku, and her skirt had different shades of red embroidery all over it. She placed her right hand over her fist and bowed to them. "I am Philothea, the person in charge of this particular dwelling. Any friends or family of Geni's are friends of ours. Now, before everyone arrives, let us get your rooms arranged. All of your bags were brought here during the match, and are waiting in your rooms."

"Hey, that's right," Goofy suddenly said as he looked around. "I was wondering where they had gotten to."

"Ahem," Philothea said, looking pointedly at Goofy for interrupting her. "Anyway, please follow me." She beckoned them to follow her as she walked towards a hallway that surrounded the small courtyard.

"Let's go," Geni said, quickly trotting over to follow the older woman. The six friends followed her, while the group in the middle of the courtyard began to talk animatedly.

Once out of earshot, Philothea continued. "All of the guestrooms are on the first floor, one for men and one for women. Each has their own private bathroom as well. Once you are settled, I'm sure Geni can give you the grand tour." She looked down at the girl walking next to her. "Glad to be back?"

"I suppose so," Geni sighed. "I didn't expect such a..._warm_ welcome," she replied with a chuckle.

"Wait until everyone else arrives for the party," Philothea said with a wink.

"How-how many did you invite?!" Geni stuttered.

"Well, we've made enough food for a small army," she stated.

Geni slapped her forehead. "_Locārthú_! You didn't need to invite the entire district!"

"I didn't – just some of your friends from the Academia and other people in general. Oh! Here we are!" Philothea stopped outside of two doors before turning around to address the group. "Here are the guest rooms. Men on the right, women on the left. There are plenty of beds for everyone, and there are towels and other necessities provided in the bathroom. If you need anything else, you'll have to ask Geni for it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure the food isn't already gone." She smiled at them before walking back down the hallway.

"Here is your room, guys," Geni said as she opened the door. Lined up along both sides of the room were six small beds, each with its own nightstand and lamp, with a door on the back wall. On each bed was a small bag or pack, denoting whose bed it was. "That door leads into the bathroom. The kitchen is directly opposite of your rooms on the other side of the courtyard. I'll show you your room Kairi," she offered, walking back towards the door.

"Okay," she said, leaving the boys alone in the room.

Sora looked around, finding his backpack on the far bed on the right side of the room. He went over and sat on his bed, feeling the soft material under him. "Nice place they've got here," he said to no one in particular.

"It is," Riku agreed. He found his own bag on the bed next to Sora's, noting that Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey were on the three beds on the other side. "Did you see how they all greeted Geni? And she knew all of them too. They seem to all be really good friends."

"Gawrsh, I wonder how long they've known each other," Goofy said as he scratched his head.

"Many since I was little." Five heads looked up to see Geni standing in the doorway, Kairi just behind her. "May we come in?"

"Of course. This is your place, after all," Sora commented.

Geni shook her head. "It is necessary that you ask permission to enter anyone's personal space here, especially those of the opposite gender. Remember that." Geni walked in and sat down on the empty bed, while Kairi went to sit next to Sora. "So, do you like the room?"

"It's cozy," Riku commented, turning to face her. There was silence in the room for a moment, before King Mickey spoke.

"Geni...I think it's time that you gave us an explanation," he said softly. "After all of the strange events today has seen, it is the least you could give us."

Geni nodded. "I know. And...I'm sorry everyone, for lying to you. It is not that I didn't want to tell you, but I couldn't. You see, Imperial law dictates that any resident of the realm, when visiting outside of it, may not discuss or allow the outside universe to know about the Keepers. I wanted to tell all of you, but I would have gotten into a lot of trouble for doing so. So, I had to wait until all of you came here."

"So how did _you_ end up here then?" Sora asked her.

Geni took a deep breath, all eyes on her. "Wait." She turned, raising her hands towards the door. Like a gust of wind, the door closed on its own, silencing the chatter from the courtyard. "Much better. I suppose I should start at the very beginning, almost twelve years ago."

"Wait – when you came to live at the castle?" King Mickey said, surprised.

"Yes. A month or so after I came to live at the castle, Queen Minnie and I took that day trip to Master Yen Sid's tower, where I was to meet him for the first time. The meeting went smoothly, and I became one of his pupils. However, on the way back, the gummi ship we were on was suddenly drawn into some kind of spatial disruption. I know I hit my head when we were tossed around, and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was lying on a large bed in an empty room. Queen Minnie had been sitting next to me, and was really happy when I woke up. As soon as I did, a woman walked into the room with a beautiful crown of silver with a large purple stone on the front of it."

"The Queen?" Sora interrupted.

"Yes. She had an offer for me, quite like the one King Mickey gave me. She wanted to know if I would like to come and live here in the realm, where I could study and train my body and mind to make up for the fact I only had half a heart. Queen Minnie was quiet the entire time she talked to me. Of course, being only three years old, it sounded like fun and an adventure to me. However, there was one catch."

"What was that?" King Mickey asked softly.

"That I had to make my decision without knowing what I would learn, what I would be trained in, or knowing anything about the realm at all. I had to follow all of the rules, and had to follow whatever instructions were given to me – including those which concerned how I would live my life. Literally, if I wanted what she had offered me, I had to accept it blindly and all of the consequences that came with it. That was why Queen Minnie was silent – she couldn't influence my decision in any way at all."

"But you did anyway," Kairi finished.

Geni nodded. "In the end, I did. Queen Minnie did ask for one exception though – that I was allowed to divide my time between the castle and here for my tutelage. After that, I was informed of all that had happened and what was going on. Queen Minnie and I had accidentally entered into the dimensional tunnel near Twilight Town and nearly crashed here in the Realm of the Keepers. Because of my condition, when I hit my head I was actually unconscious for several days."

"That's impossible," Donald suddenly said. Everyone turned to look at him. "You and Queen Minnie were only gone for the day!"

"That's where this realm's uniqueness lies," she said with a smile. "This realm is separate from the rest of the universe, and in that has a different flow of time. In actuality, for every day outside of this realm, like on the Destiny Islands, seven days will pass in this realm. In other words, for around every three hours outside of this realm one day will pass here."

"Incredible!" King Mickey gasped.

"Anyway, so besides finding out that we had really only been gone a few hours, we were allowed to see some of the city and where I would be learning with all of the other children. I was to find out later why the Queen had invited me to learn with the children from this realm – she had only offered the chance to me because the ruling system was becoming too traditional, too narrow minded. I, an outsider, was allowed to learn here because the Queen thought it would help everyone see that the realm did not have to be closed to the outside universe – as they had been for thousands of years."

"So you were used as a piece of propaganda," Riku said bitterly.

"In a way," she shrugged. "In the end, it was only through being able to come here that I was able to progress so much in these last twelve years. But...several months ago, when Sora freed me from the darkness, the Imperial Council summoned me here for a trial hearing. Seeing as how I had fallen to the darkness for a year – seven years their time – they wanted to erase all of my memories and everything I had learned from them. They had assumed that the safety of the realm was already at risk because I had been corrupted while I still had full access to all of that knowledge. So I was put to the test – much like what happened today – and won. I was allowed to keep all of my personal knowledge and accomplishments from my time here."

"But when was that? I don't remember you leaving for any length of time," Sora said.

"That's because you Queen Minnie and I made you forget," Geni said with a smile. Reaching into a small bag she had at her waist, Geni drew out a clear crystal which had some blue, green, and red mist swirling around inside of it. "Have you ever seen this before Sora? Or you Donald? Goofy?" she asked them in turn.

"Nope – can't say that I have," Goofy replied.

"Sorry, but I don't remember ever seeing it," Donald quacked.

"I don't either," Sora admitted.

"Well, you will in a moment," Geni said. She took the crystal into both of her hands before breaking it clean in two. The multicolored mist swirled up and out of the crystal before floating into Sora, Donald, and Goofy's heads.

Sora swayed for a moment, clutching his head. "Oh, brain freeze," he said with a small moan. Kairi put her hand on his shoulder, a worried look on her face.

"What was that?" Riku asked her, suspicious.

"Sora, tell me what happened the day after we arrived at Disney Castle," Geni said calmly.

"Sure. You were in your room sleeping – no, wait, you weren't," he said suddenly, looking up in shock. "You were hurt...badly..."

"Like someone had beaten you up," Donald added softly.

"All of the cuts and bruises too," Goofy put in.

"What?" Riku suddenly said, angry. He turned his head to give her a glare. "What happened?"

"Why didn't I know about this?" King Mickey demanded.

"Because you weren't allowed to, like I said before. Queen Minnie used this crystal on all three of you to alter your memories from that day until the time was right," Geni said with a sigh.

"The more important question, though, is why?" Kairi said softly. "You said you had been tested in order to keep everything you had learned over the years, but the fight didn't have to end so brutally if all they were going to do is erase your memories. There was something else at stake, wasn't there?" she asked.

Even though no one could see it, Geni's mind was working overtime. _How does she do that?_ she thought to herself. Geni darted her eyes at Riku, but stayed silent.

"What was at stake Geni?" Riku asked her, leaning forward to take her hands into his. He rubbed the tops of her hands with his thumbs. "You can tell us, you know. Now that we're all here, you can share it with us and share the burden of whatever it is."

Geni looked up into his deep aquamarine eyes, seeing the concern and care in them. "I know. I –"

_Knock, knock_. "Geni, are you in there? People are starting to arrive," Elwen called.

"Be out in a moment," Geni called. She turned her eyes on the expectant group and gave them a small smile. "It can wait until after the party. I want all of you to meet my friends." She stood up, bringing Riku's hands with her. "These people are important to me, and have been good friends of mine for many years. It's only fair that you get to meet them considering how much they know about all of you."

"They do?" Sora asked, surprised.

"Of course! I spend more time here than you think," Geni responded with a laugh. "Now come on! It's time for a party!" She let go of Riku's hand and walked over to the door. "Coming?" she called to them.

"Of course!" Sora said, jumping up and running over. "Will there be food?"

"Didn't you hear Philothea? Everyone's made enough food for a small army."

"So...how many people _are_ coming, exactly?" Riku asked, joining her and Sora at the door. He had wanted to hear Geni's answer, but seeing how excited she was he allowed the subject to drop for the time being.

"Oh, just several dozen probably," Geni said with a smile as she opened the door. Outside, people were everywhere. Once the door was opened and Geni stepped out into the hallway, people started shouting and cheering until everyone in the building knew she was there.

Elwen barreled into them and grabbed Geni's hand. "Come on – you're the guest of honor!"

"I'm coming, just give me a second," she told her. Geni turned around. "Just follow me, and if you need anything look for me, Elwen, or Philothea. Okay?"

"But –" Riku began.

"Just come on," she said as she grabbed his wrist. Elwen pulled Geni, while Geni pulled Riku, into the courtyard leaving the others to follow in their wake.

Cheering erupted when Geni was lead to the middle of the courtyard. People filled the floor and the hallways, while more yet leaned out over the railings of the floors above them. "Quiet! Quiet down everybody!" Elwen called as she stood up on a small box. Immediately the talking hushed with a few whispers here and there. "Finally – you people are worse than the history apprentices," she grumbled. She received good natured chuckling and laughing in return.

"Get on with it Elwen, we're hungry," a man's voice called from the floor above them.

"Your stomach can wait Junpei," she shouted up to him. "Now, as you know, our good friend Geni has finally returned from the islands, also bringing her friends and some family with her. They even brought some decent entertainment for us this afternoon!" Laughing and good-natured boos' were shouted out. "Well, at least we know she isn't invincible anymore." Snickers followed this, mostly from many of the men present. "Anyway, I'd like to make a toast or two." Elwen raised a glass high, along with anyone who had a drink in their hand. "To the winner of today's match, Riku Tamohara, for finally breaking Geni's undefeated winning streak!" Cheers were shouted down towards him, many around him giving him congratulations and pats on the back. Riku tried not to look embarrassed, but was quickly losing that battle. "And to Geni." Elwen's smile disappeared, and she gave her a solemn look. "We wish you the best of luck on your difficult path ahead. May you walk it knowing you have all the support you can get." She flashed everyone a blinding smile. "To Geni!"

"To Geni!" everyone shouted out as they downed their drinks.

"Alright! Time to party!" Elwen jumped down. "So, what shall our theme be tonight, party girl?" she asked Geni.

Geni laughed. "It doesn't really matter to me."

"Alright then! It's a mix! What's the first song?" she asked her. Geni gave her a pointed look. "Oops, as if I had to ask. Rip it Koji, Koichi!"

"Got it!" Two boys with black hair gave her a thumbs up before they revealed a table behind them with a full DJ setup. Running behind the table, the spotlights they had suddenly lit up and began to create different patterns all over the people and walls as a tune with a heavy beat began to play through some very large speakers...

_I'm waiting for the night, drifting away  
On the waves of my dreams to another day.  
I'm standing on a hill and beyond the clouds  
The winds blowing still and catching my doubts.  
I'm hunting on the night__, the slave to my dream_

_An illustrated scene descends in the steam__.  
We're playing for the fights, emotional games,  
I'm turning off my eyes and hiding my shame._

_A never-ending dream a dream of you_

_I believe I received a sign of you.  
Tonight I want to hide my feelings too  
As you do and I want to be with you..._

All of the people began to dance to the heavy beat of the music, weaving in and out in a complicated rhythm of bodies. Geni fell into the rhythm, losing herself as she danced alongside Elwen. She felt her mind losing the battle of control to her body, as she concentrated only on the music in and around her.

Once King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had heard the word "party" they knew well enough to try and find a spot out of the way. Looking around, they followed their noses to the kitchen and found numerous plates, platters, and dishes full of food waiting to be devoured. Even though it was for a little later, one of the people took pity on them at gave them some large plates filled with goodies and gave them a place to sit while the younger generation worked up an appetite.

Riku, Sora, and Kairi on the other hand had been pulled into the crowd and were getting to know the younger residents of Dawn Dwellings quite well. With the lights dimmed, and the spotlights running rampant all over the walls, it was hard to tell at times who was who. Sora and Kairi quickly began to make up for the time they lost at their own dance, enjoying the unfamiliar music. Riku felt a smidge uncomfortable, however; he could see Geni dancing a few feet away from him, but a wall of bodies prevented him from at least trying to talk to her. He watched her, her eyes closed as she swayed to the music. Her arms and legs stomped, twirled, and twisted in complex patterns as she danced. As the first song finished, Geni slowly came out of her self-induced trance to look around her, noticing Riku was watching her. She smiled, and pushed her way through the people.

"Having fun?" she asked him.

"I suppose. Does this always happen?"

"Does what always happen?"

"Well," Riku began, "It seems like everyone here knew what was going on before it happened."

"Oh! You mean the dancing?" He nodded. "What else would you do when eighty percent of the people here are music apprentices?"

"These people are all musicians?" he said a little louder as another song started up.

"Yeah. Follow me, and we'll go somewhere where it's a little quieter." Geni grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the crowd, leading him towards the kitchens. Once out of the central courtyard, the crowds died down greatly. Geni led Riku towards an open doorway, where tantalizing aromas could be smelled wafting out. Geni led Riku through the door, where a woman immediately bombarded her with questions.

"Geni! What are you doing here? You should be out there having fun!" she scolded her.

"Hello Izumi. Have you made enough Italian food for everyone yet?" Geni said, eying the counters in front of her.

The blond haired girl smiled. "Just spreading the _sollazzare_! Now, what can I get you and your friend?"

"Nothing yet – just wanted to find someplace a little quieter for a moment."

"Ah, _sì_. I know what you mean. Well, your three _amici_ are back at the table eating already. They don't quite look like they would fit in with everyone out there," she said with a laugh.

"_Grazie_ Izumi. We'll check in with them before we go back out."

"_No problema_," Izumi said, waving as she disappeared into a doorway behind her.

Geni turned around, finding Riku giving her an odd look. "What?" she asked him, blushing a little as she turned her head away.

"What language was that girl speaking in?" he asked her, curious.

"Italian. Izumi's always been a big fan of their culture, so she's learned how to speak it and make their native dishes."

"Like what?"

Geni walked over to a long island in the middle of the kitchen, filled with steaming dishes. "Spaghetti, lasagna, cannelloni, risotto, focaccia, and gelato – her chocolate gelato is the best."

"Gelato?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fancy ice cream," Geni explained. "I'm going to go and check up on King Mickey and everyone. Did you want to come along?"

"Sure, why not?" he answered. Geni began to walk to the back of the kitchen, past numerous cabinets, a stove, and a large cabinet that was probably a refrigerator and freezer, until he saw a decent sized table that could easily fit a dozen people in the back of the room. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were so intent on the plates piled high in front of them that they didn't notice the two of them walk in.

"Enjoying the food?" Geni suddenly asked.

The three of them looked up. "Th-mm stuff i-m great!" Goofy said, his mouth full of pasta.

Donald quickly swallowed, giving Goofy a look. "Your friend is a great cook!" he said.

"I haven't had arancini in ages!" King Mickey exclaimed. "Minnie will want the recipe, I know."

"Well I'm sure Izumi would be happy to share it with you," Geni said with a laugh. Sobering up, she asked them, "Are the three of you alright in here? I don't want you feeling left out."

King Mickey waved a hand. "We'll be fine. It seems like your 'welcome back party' is for people slightly younger than we are."

"Oh, King Mickey. You're always young at heart," Geni said with a smile.

"Maybe in heart, but older in body," he returned with a laugh.

"Really?" Riku asked, intrigued. "Um, exactly how old are you King Mickey?" he asked casually.

"Oh! That's right! You probably never knew. I'm over seventy years old!" the little mouse king said proudly.

"Really?" Geni asked, saving Riku from embarrassment, considering he almost fell over at the sudden revelation. "I knew that the people of the Disney Kingdom lived a long time, but you look quite young for your age," she said with a laugh while Riku tried to regain his composure.

"Well so are we," Donald pointed out grumpily.

"Old, that is," Goofy clarified.

"Wait until Sora finds out that he's been traveling with people who could be his grandparents!" Riku laughed.

"Well, Sora and I would have looked quite odd with an anthropomorphic duck and dog for grandparents," Geni said with a straight face. "A long nose with a bill, and big floppy ears? That just screams cute." She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"Yeah, I probably would have thought twice before talking to you if you had looked like that," Riku admitted sheepishly.

Geni glanced up at him silently for a moment before responding. "Well, I suppose we had best get back to the party. I hope Kairi is keeping tabs on Sora."

"Oh, no doubt she is," Riku confirmed.

"Do you know the way back to the room?" Geni asked the three.

"Don't worry about us. We don't get lost that easily," Donald said.

"Alright then. If I don't see you tonight, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Have fun!" King Mickey called as she and Riku turned around and walked back out of the large kitchen. The music grew louder and louder as they drew nearer to the source. Many people were still dancing, and a circle had formed in the center for people to show off their skills. At that moment two tall girls with long, light brown hair were dancing, their movements completely opposite but also completely in sync with each other like they were dancing in front of a mirror.

"How many pairs of twins are there here?" Riku asked her loudly.

"Oh, you mean the Minamoto brothers, Eriya, and Naria? For some reason, the Realm has a lot of twins born into it – more so than any other world. There are probably three times as many hear than anywhere else," Geni said into his ear loudly.

Riku raised an eyebrow at her. _I wonder if this has anything to do with Sora and Geni being twins as well_, he thought to himself. As the music died down again, Geni pulled on his hand.

"Do you want to go and dance?" she said in her normal voice, which was more like a whisper due to the chaos around them.

"Sure," he answered. Geni smiled and pulled him into the center of the crowd now that the circle had dissipated.

"Alright! It's time for the Dance Off!" Koji and Koichi called out. Cheers were heard all around as everyone scrambled to form decent rows all across the courtyard.

"A what?" Riku asked her, standing next to her.

"Yeah, what is it?" Sora suddenly asked, appearing next to her.

"Well, the music will start to play and then you'll have only a few seconds to start doing the dance that goes with each song. So they'll play stuff like the Macarena, Hokey Pokey, and so forth. The songs get harder until one person is left standing."

"Oh! Sounds like fun!" Kairi said excitedly.

"Good luck then," Geni wished her. "It's fun to see how some people interpret the newer songs they don't know."

"Here we go!" Koji called out. "Kids stuff first!"

The first song to come up actually was the Hokey Pokey, making everyone groan. The next songs in order were the Cha Cha Slide, the Chicken Dance, the Macarena, and the Electric Slide. During the set, one by one people began to mess up and trickle out of the courtyard to watch those still in play. Sora, Kairi, and Riku stayed in with Geni, earning cheers from the residents. The intermediate songs were Cotton Eye Joe, the Twist, the Robot, Numa Numa, "Walk Like An Egyptian," and line dancing with the "Boot Scootin' Boogie." Sora was the first out on the Twist, followed by Kairi on the Robot, and Riku on the country boogie. Along with them, most of the crowd had left the floor, leaving Geni still standing in the middle with another dozen people.

"As usual, it's the musical people left standing," Koichi sighed to everyone, making the losers laugh. "But now, time to mix it up! These are the hardest songs we have, and the last one is brand new! It just arrived a few days ago. This time we'll only play less than a minute of each song, so be ready to switch." Excited whispers were heard throughout the courtyard at this announcement. "Ready? Here's the first song of the last set!" he shouted.

Immediately an older man's voice was heard speaking, talking about someone going crazy. Everyone on the dance floor was as still as a statue, until they all jumped up with their arms out, shouting, "Let's do the time warp again!" They jumped to the left, and then started dancing around with their hands on their hips. So the first song was the "Time Warp." After a few more seconds, the music turned dark and sinister and the contestants began to waves their arms around like claws while doing some fancy foot work. Several people went out on this song due to that, but Geni still held her own.

"Come on Geni! You can do it!" Sora shouted. Many other people were cheering for their favorites, others changing their vote when someone got disqualified.

"She's really good," Kairi commented, looking sideways at Riku.

Riku was caught up in watching Geni that he barely noticed anything else. The next song came on, talking about a soldier or superman or something like that, and Geni smoothly slid into it right away. She kicked her feet backwards, tapping them against her hands, before pretending to fly away. After about thirty seconds of the song, the courtyard was only filled with the last three contestants: Geni, a girl with brown hair tied up in a yellow ribbon, and another guy with short brown spiky hair like Sora's.

"Alright! Here's a hard one! The ensemble is 'Lord of the Dance!'" Koji shouted just before he changed the music.

"Come on Takuya – you know this set inside and out!" the large boy from before called out. He was standing only a few feet away from Sora, Kairi, and Riku, shouting his lungs out.

"Excuse me," Kairi asked him politely.

The boy turned, giving her a surprised look before smiling. "What's up? Cheering for Geni?"

"Yes. But could you tell me what 'Lord of the Dance' means?" she said.

"Oh, it's Irish jig music. Geni and Takuya are some of the best at it I've ever seen. Watch." He pointed as he turned back to the courtyard. A flute was playing an upbeat melody while drums provided an alternating rhythm. The dance was completely different from everything seen before. The three remaining contestants were using their lower bodies – their legs and feet – to skip around and complete many complex moves while keeping their upper bodies immobile. The girls occasionally while doing a spin would twirl their arms above their heads, an accompaniment to the boy. During one of the passes, all three simultaneously jumped and began to just use their feet in a tapping pattern. Almost immediately, the girl with the yellow headband went out of sync with the boy and Geni and was disqualified. Now that there were only two people left, the DJ prepared the last song.

"Last song of the contest – and the brand new song!" Koichi called out and he pressed several buttons on the panel that controlled the music.

"Who thinks which person will know this one?" Koji called out. "Takuya?" Loud cheers pounded the dancer's ears, who were still dancing the jig. "Or Geni?" Even louder shouts were heard, making her the clear favorite of the contest. "Alright! Let's see who might already know this one. It's from Daler Mehndi!"

Excited talk erupted. No one had heard of the artist before, save a select few. The Irish jig music quieted, and was replaced by a man singing several long notes. Takuya and Geni stilled, waiting for the music to begin. As they looked at each other, Geni gave Takuya a sly smile. Takuya groaned loudly, knowing that Geni already knew the dance whereas he did not. A fast beat suddenly erupted from the speakers, the lyrics being repeated over and over rapidly. Geni jumped, spreading her feet out while bringing her arms up. Her left hand centered in her middle, her fingers wiggling rapidly, while her right arm arched over her head, those fingers wiggling also. At the end of the first phrase, she clapped her hands together three times. On the second go, she pointed at the crowd with her left hand and pretended to wave a lasso over her with her right hand, again clapping three times at the end of the phrase. Once the singing stopped and the music took over, she began spinning like a whirlwind around the courtyard.

Takuya watched on, breathing deeply as he stood still. He held his hands up in a sign of defeat, watching with a smile as Geni danced circles around him.

"And we have a winner!" the twins shouted together. The crowd shouted in delight, watching the strange new dance. Takuya was the first, after watching Geni for a moment, to join in with her. Soon a flood of people joined them on the floor, laughing and being silly as they twirled around to the song. As the song ended, Geni and Takuya swinging around connected at the elbows, they both dropped to the floor, breathing hard and laughing.

"I haven't...done that...in so long!" Geni said with a grin.

"And yet...you still beat...me," Takuya sighed. "If that's so brand new, how did you know it?" he asked her.

"Oh, just a detour before I arrived this morning," she said, winking.

"Geni, that was great!" Kairi said, running up to her with Sora and Riku directly behind her. "I loved the jig!"

Geni blushed slightly, looking away. "It was nothing..."

"Nothing?!" Takuya said indignantly as he stood up. "You practice more than I do. More than anyone, in fact!"

"Alright, that's enough," Philothea said, eying the newcomers. "The Watch is going to start making their rounds soon, so we'll have to finish the party tomorrow." Groans and sighs met this announcement. Philothea put her hands on her hips, looking at several individuals around her. "Excuse me, but it was not _my_ fault that someone slipped skin dye into the Watch's food turning them blue, now is it?" Several people giggled, while others tried to look innocent. "I thought so. Either way, it's time to start saying goodbye for the night."

Takuya hauled Geni to her feet, grasping her hands. "You owe me a rematch," he said seriously.

"Any time," she said, smirking. Geni stood there, a line of people making their way past her offering congratulations and personal words besides their farewells. It took another ten minutes, but soon all of the non-residents were gone, leaving the residents to clean up.

"We'll clean up the courtyard," Geni immediately said to Philothea, who had been watching the scene with interest.

"Alright. There's a little bit of food left in the kitchen when you're all done," she replied with a wave as she headed in said direction.

"What can we do to help?" Sora offered.

"Well, any garbage should go into the kitchen to be sorted, while all the chairs and cushions have to be put back in the way they were when we first got here. I'll go get the broom and dustpan to sweep up with," she said as she headed towards the front hallway. Sora looked around, noting that the chairs and pillows had been scattered all over the courtyard and hallways sometime during the evening. He walked towards several large cushions and picked them up and brought them back into the courtyard, setting them down as he had seen them before. Kairi and Riku helped out as well, putting the furniture back. Geni came back moments later with a small broom and began to sweep up the dirt and dropped food all over the floor. All in all, it took the quartet less than ten minutes to get the courtyard back to its original spotless quality.

Geni sank down into one of the overstuffed chairs, breathing deeply. "What a night," she said with a small laugh.

"It certainly was different," Riku admitted, sitting on the chair next to her. "Do the people here do this often?"

Geni nodded. "This was bigger than normal, but we usually get together quite often. The younger half of the population has parties that are slightly wilder than the adults. Even so, tonight was a little unruly."

"This was unruly? At home this would have been considered pretty tame," Sora snickered.

"Well, these people have had more time to get that kind of partying out of the way. Don't forget, time travels seven times as fast here."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked her from her bed of pillows across from her.

"Well, for example: I'm fifteen years old outside; here, I would be one hundred and five years old."

"Those people looked young, but their ages are much older..." Sora thought out loud, scrunching his face.

"Even though there is a greater age difference, all of our biological processes still progress at the same rate. They age like we do, except it takes longer here than it does back on the islands," Geni explained gently.

"Oh! I get it now," Sora said, his face brightening.

"Hey! Are any of you hungry?" Geni turned, seeing Izumi in the doorway of the kitchen.

"A little," Geni said, her stomach suddenly gurgling loudly. "Do any of you want anything?"

"Whatever is left," Sora said lazily.

"Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes." Geni pushed herself out of the chair and quickly walked into the kitchen. Sora, Riku, and Kairi quietly listened to the people around them; those in the kitchen, and the other residents walking around the building talking to each other.

"Hey, did you two notice anything peculiar tonight?" Riku suddenly asked them.

"Like what?" Kairi answered.

"Everyone I spoke to answered in a way I could understand them, but everyone else spoke in the native language of this place. Was that for our benefit, I wonder, or...do the people here speak many different languages? I mean, that girl Izumi, for example. Geni said she was speaking something called Italian. And we speak English, like most of the worlds' we've encountered." Riku fell silent, pondering.

"You know, I haven't thought about it much," Sora admitted. "I wonder –" His statement was cut off by the opening of the main door. Three men walked in, wearing the same sort of attire as the rest of the people had, but the pieces of fabric with the embroidered symbols on them were completely red like Philothea's had been. As they walked in, the man in front noticed the newcomers sitting in the courtyard. He stopped and looked at them for a moment, causing his two friends to almost bump into him.

"What's up Keldar?" the shorter one behind him asked.

"We have company," he said, his voice a deep, rich baritone. At that moment, Elwen appeared from wherever she had been and saw the three men standing on the outskirts of the courtyard.

"Oh! Keldar, Itsuki, Kyon! Are you three back already from the palace?" Elwen asked excitedly as she bounded over in front of them. "You missed the party!"

"Exactly," Keldar said, his face impassive. "Why was there a party anyway?"

"Geni came back today! I thought of all people you should be happy about that!" Elwen said, prodding his chest with a pointed finger. "Now, come on! Geni brought her brother and friends with her to stay for a while!" Elwen bounded over to the three teens, who had each slowly risen from the sitting positions during Elwen's little chat.

"The redhead is Kairi, the tall one is Riku, and the one that looks identical to Geni is her twin brother Sora. I think the others are still in the kitchen," she said, tilting her head as she finished.

Keldar watched them stoically. "How long are you staying here?" he asked them.

"We don't know," Sora said, wondering what was wrong with him that he felt like he was talking to a stone. "We're here to do some research in the archives."

"I see." Keldar turned quickly and began walking out of the courtyard.

"Wait! Don't you want to talk to them?" Elwen ran up and grabbed Keldar's arm. "I mean, Sora could probably tell you a lot about Geni! Considering you won't talk to her yourself," she finished in a mutter as she received a dark glare from Keldar when he turned to look at her.

The shorter boy from before looked between the two groups, noting the confused expressions on the newcomers and the two obviously oblivious people talking about very serious matters. "Um, Keldar? Elwen?"

"What Kyon?" Elwen called, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Do they know?" he asked her, pointing at Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

"Do we know what?" Riku asked, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward.

"Oh! Geni hasn't told you yet?" Elwen said excitedly.

Geni and Izumi had finished putting together several plates of snacks and were about to head out into the courtyard with them when they heard voices. Izumi went to the door, leaving Geni to finish placing the last of the arancini on a large plate filled with more goodies.

"Oh! Kyon and Itsuki are back! I wonder if they're hungry," Izumi thought as she came back into the kitchen and grabbed a plate.

"I thought I didn't see them. Where were they tonight?" Geni asked as she picked up the plate. She and Izumi began to walk out of the kitchen and back out into the courtyard.

"Oh, they went with Keldar to the palace for a while," Izumi explained as they entered the courtyard, just as Elwen was talking to both groups. Geni's smile cracked, her eyes widening in horror.

"Oh! Geni hasn't told you yet?" she was saying excitedly. "Geni and Keldar are betrothed!"


	20. What!

Chapter 19

"She's what?" Sora asked her, confused.

"She's betrothed to Keldar! Has been for about seven or eight months now ever since their battle for candidacy," Elwen said, still very much excited.

"But what does it mean?" Sora asked her.

"Sora…" Kairi began hesitantly, reaching for her friend.

"It means they're going to get married," a stony voice replied. Sora turned around. Riku was standing there staring at Elwen, his eyes hard and his fists clenched.

"Elwen!" a voice called out in a scolding manner. Sora turned around to see that a blonde haired girl and Geni were standing at the entrance of the courtyard holding two plates filled with food. Geni's eyes were wide as her gaze rested on Riku. She quickly handed her plate to the girl, but slowly walked over to where he was standing.

Once Geni was within a few feet of Riku, she stopped. "Riku, please let me explain –" she began timidly before Riku cut her off.

"Explain? How do you explain _this_? You're engaged to be married and you didn't tell any of us?" he exploded at her. "According to your friend here, this happened eight months ago here, which made it a little over a month ago back home – which is exactly when you left to go on that supposed _trip_ with Queen Minnie. You were here, weren't you?" he continued to rant. "So tell me, did you enjoy stringing us along for the ride? I suppose you were laughing behind my back this whole time, weren't you? All this time, the time that _we_ spent together, you threw away like some rotten garbage. I guess I know why you never answered me now," he said with a bitter laugh.

Geni looked up at Riku, her heart rending in two at his words. She raised a hand towards him in a pleading way. "Riku, please…I…"

"Save it," he snapped at her, making her swiftly pull back her hand like he was going to bite it off. "I know when I've been used. Maleficent and Ansem's Heartless did a good job of that, remember? After everything I've done for you…this is how you repay me. Forget this – I'm leaving, and I _never_want to see you again. Stay here with your future husband and see if he cares…because I don't." And with that Riku walked right past her, ignoring her as if she were invisible or didn't even exist, to the front door of the building. He pulled it open and slammed it behind him, allowing the hollow sound to echo throughout the courtyard.

Geni stood there in shock, numb and unfeeling. She cradled her hand to her chest, her eyes blind to the world around her.

Deafening silence filled the courtyard after Riku stormed out. Sora had never seen his best friend so angry or hurt before that he would lash out at anyone – especially Geni. He tore his eyes away from the front door to look at his sister, who had turned into a living statue. He could feel the many chaotic emotions through their link, and all he wanted to do was go and comfort her at least. He was about to walk towards her when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Kairi looking at him, shaking her head no.

"I didn't know," Elwen said softly, the first to speak. She looked at her friend as Geni stood there. "I'm so sorry Geni – I didn't know."

This seemed to break Geni out of her trance. Her arms fell to her sides, and she looked up at Elwen. Her eyes were hard and empty, her mouth a straight line. "It isn't your fault Elwen. Could I ask you a favor and please take Sora to go find him? He may get lost here, especially when the Watch is coming around soon." She paused, looking as if she were about to say something, but immediately changed her mind. "I'm going up to my room to work," she finished without emotion. She looked at Sora once more before she disappeared in a poof.

"Oh dear," Izumi said from the entrance to the courtyard from the kitchen.

"I agree." She turned around, seeing the small mouse king standing there with a sad look on his face.

"Now what?" Sora asked softly to no one in particular.

"Well, you and I are going to find your friend," Elwen said firmly. "It's the least I could do, considering this mess if my fault in the first place. And after that, well…"

"We'll talk about that once you two get back," Izumi finished for her, walking forward to join the small group. She looked over at the trio of boys. "Itsuki, Kyon, Keldar; I think it would be best to retire for the night. There's some food in the kitchen yet if you're hungry," she added. Turning, she addressed Sora and Kairi. "Elwen is right; you should go find your friend. Kairi, could you please help me clean up the rest of the kitchen? I have a feeling it's going to be a long night," she ended with a sigh.

"I don't see why she had to keep it a secret," Keldar said impassively as he shrugged. "As long as she doesn't create any problems it's of no concern to me." He nodded to the group, and turned on his heel and left the courtyard.

"Um, goodnight," Kyon said with a small bow of putting his right hand over his left fist before turning and running after the tall boy.

"He's not always this unemotional," Itsuki said with a smile as he turned at strolled after the other two.

"Sure he's not," Elwen muttered. "Let's go Sora. We have to hurry." She grabbed his upper arm and dragged him towards the door while he was still in his confused state.

Kairi reached after him, but Izumi stopped her. She looked up at the blonde questioningly. "We'll worry about this when they're all back her safe and sound. Let's go," she added gently. The two girls walked towards the kitchen and a worried King Mickey, concern etched into all of their faces.

Outside, Riku wandered around aimlessly. His chest constricted painfully, his mind shattered into a million tiny pieces. He followed the cobblestone path which was occasionally lit by a tall lamp, not quite knowing where he was going. All he wanted to do was get away. _Why didn't she say anything! To me of all people, damn it. I've been used yet again...but this is worse than both times before. This time I actually thought she was someone who really cared about me._Memories flashed across Riku's mind: on top of the castle at The World That Never Was, their first night back on the islands, Kairi's birthday party, giving Geni the necklace, her almost drowning after the blitzball game, and fighting her today. His hands clenched as he remembered one particular night: the night after the blitzball game. Geni had known then, and still faked her ignorance in front of Riku. Riku slammed his fist into the nearest wall, bruising it at the least. "Why..." he ground out. "_Why?_"

Looking up, he finally noticed that he was at a small park-like area. He walked into it, across the cool grass. There were no lights here, so it was very dark. He could hear the swooshing of water in the canal which was hidden from view by a small grouping of trees and bushes. Walking through them, he found himself in a secluded spot on the corner of the canal. The bushes and trees concealed him from behind, and it was too dark for anyone to see him from a boat or the opposite shore.

Riku walked to the edge of the canal and sat down, staring into the murky waters as he dangled his legs over the retaining wall. The water hit the stone walls of the canal creating a whooshing and sucking noise whenever a boat swam by, and stilling when the traffic disappeared. It was warm outside, but the cool breeze off of the water made it quite bearable. As Riku sat there, he continued to mull over the night's events. "How could she..." he whispered to himself. "I thought..." He left the sentence hanging and unfinished as he stared out into the undisturbed night.

"How far could he have gone?" Sora asked Elwen as they dashed around the buildings.

"Not very. As far as I can tell he hasn't left the district, so he's around here somewhere," she replied, looking around as she turned left at a fork.

"How can you tell?"

"Different energy signatures. People from the outside have different energy signatures from people here because of the time difference. This way," she said confidently, turning right. "He's not too far from us."

"Good," Sora replied with a sigh. "Hey, Elwen? Can I ask you a question before we get there?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Why is Geni engaged to Keldar? When she told me she would be leaving the islands, I never would have guessed that she was getting married."

"Sorry Sora," Elwen replied, shaking her head as they ran. "That's for Geni to tell you, not me. I've already said to much as it is. But you're her family, you and King Mickey. She has to tell you because familial consent is part of the ceremony."

"Oh, I see." Sora stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"Here!" Elwen suddenly said. Sora looked up to see a small green area with trees ahead of them. "He's behind those trees – I'm sure of it," she said with certainty.

"I'll go first," Sora offered. Elwen nodded, and Sora took the lead. He slowed down to a walk as he stepped through the foliage. Emerging from it, he saw Riku sitting on the bank of the canal, staring off into the distance. "Riku?" he asked quietly, coming up behind him.

Riku heard several people approaching but didn't really care anymore. "Riku?" a voiced called. It was Sora. _Figures_, he thought to himself. "Are you alright Riku?" Sora asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Super," he muttered.

Sora knelt down next to his friend. "Riku...I'm sure that Geni didn't mean to –"

"Didn't mean to what, Sora?" Riku practically shouted, turning to face him. "She obviously didn't care that keeping that tiny little secret from me would hurt me," he said sarcastically. He looked over at Elwen as he stood up. "I love...loved her," he corrected before continuing. "I even went to all of the trouble of arranging that stupid meteor shower from the gummi ship and that necklace for her and this is how she shows her thanks to me? She knew all along about this marriage and strung me along like I was some plaything."

"Riku..." Sora began.

"Don't Sora, don't even try," Riku said bitterly. "It's obvious she lied from the beginning – probably ever since I met her. That's all she is: a li-"

_SMACK!_Riku's eyes opened wide in shock. Elwen stood in front of him, her shoulders shaking and her hand still high in front of her from where she had slapped him. Riku slowly brought his hand up to feel the inflamed skin.

"How _dare_you," Elwen hissed. "How dare you talk about Geni like that! You think she wanted to keep all these secrets? You think she wanted to become Keldar's arm candy? You said you loved her, yet did you ever really know her true feelings?" she said, a tear escaping down her cheek. "None of us are ever told when we are being tested. Geni fought Keldar assuming it was because she had been gone for seven years and the Imperial Council wanted to erase her memories! She didn't know until afterwards that the other reason she fought was to see if she and Keldar would be compatible together! Unfortunately for her, the Imperial Council thought they were – so they made all of the arrangements and then told her. Do you know what she did? Geni risked getting imprisoned because she refused to! It took months for her to stop struggling against their decision and finally accept the inevitable; in other words, Geni didn't want to get married in the first place. She loved you, you...you jerk!" she shouted at him, several more tears leaking from her eyes as she finally lowered her gaze. She stood there, sobbing quietly.

"...If she had, she wouldn't have lied to me. We promised to never lie or keep secrets from each other," he told her flatly, ignoring her distress.

"Fine! Be a jerk for all I care! But if you hurt Geni any more than you already have, I swear that I won't be the only one after you," she said menacingly as her eyes flashed with hatred towards him. "Now let's go back. If the Watch finds us, all of us will be in trouble." Elwen turned around quickly and headed back through the trees.

Riku, once he could no longer hear Elwen's footsteps, turned around to face Sora. He saw his own pain reflected in Sora's eyes, the pain that was constricting his own heart squeezing Sora's. "Let's go. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow," he mumbled, heading for the trees.

"Riku, she…Geni, she didn't…what do you want me to say?" Sora finally shouted. Riku looked at his normally happy-go-lucky best friend, shocked to hear such a tone coming from him. "I'm sure Geni had her reasons, but if you block her out and don't let her explain, it will only hurt both of you more. Just give her a chance," he begged him.

"I…I can't Sora," Riku said apologetically. He wasn't cross at Sora, just his twin. "I don't think I can. Not now…not ever." And with that, he turned and walked away.

Up on the fourth floor of a dome-shaped building in the district of Dawn Dwellings, a young teenage girl sat at a desk with a small oil lamp burning next to her as she neatly scribbled down notes for the following day. Even though her heart had just been broken in two yet again, she couldn't allow her personal feelings to interfere with her work.

"Idiot," Geni muttered to herself as her hand flew across the page. As she finished the last paragraph, she placed her pen back into its holder and blew on the page gently to dry the ink. Stacking the papers gently on her desk, she bound the sides of them into a small easy to carry book. "All done," she sighed to herself. She stood up and stretched, pushing her chair back, and glancing at the numerous picture frames that covered the top shelf. Her family from the Disney Castle, Radiant Garden, and the Destiny Islands smiled back at her, or as much as several of them could manage. Looking down the row, she noticed one picture in particular she had always been fond of: a picture of her and Riku at the beach, his arms around her and the thalassa shell necklace hanging around her neck. Said necklace lay in front of the frame, its glossy surface shining from the light of the lamp.

Geni picked up the shell, turning it over in her hand. She felt her other pendant on her throat, at the moment feeling as if it was digging into her windpipe, choking her. She shook her head, and opened a side drawer to take out a small wooden box. Lifting off the cover, she placed the necklace inside it gently, replaced the cover, and put it back into the drawer and out of sight.

"We're back!" Elwen called out loudly as she, Riku, and Sora entered the building complex, marking her square by the door as she passed.

"In here please!" Philothea called, sticking her head out the kitchen door. The three of them quickly walked into the kitchen area, seeing Philothea, Izumi, King Mickey, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy sitting around the table in the back. "Thank you for returning so quickly Elwen," Philothea said gratefully.

"No problem," she answered. "I have an early class, so I'm heading up to bed," she said to the two women.

"Of course. Are the two of you walking together to the Academia tomorrow morning?" Izumi asked her.

"Yes – she has a lecture with the first years' tomorrow morning. I'll be helping her prepare the auditorium."

"Alright. Goodnight Elwen," Philothea said to her.

"Goodnight." Elwen gave a smile to the group, then turned and walked out the door.

"Now, please have a seat – both of you," Philothea said gently but forcefully as she gestured to the table. Sora went and quickly sat next to Kairi, while Riku took a little more time to sit next to him. "I see there have been some…surprising revelations this evening, to say the least," she began, looking around the table. "Please note that I will not say more than I can, because that privilege belongs to Geni and Geni alone. Now, to start at the beginning.

You were correct Riku – Geni and Queen Minnie came here almost eight months ago. That was the conclusion of the battle Elwen had mentioned that Geni had fought just after you had freed her heart from the darkness of Organization XIII Sora. All of us had assumed it was for her right to keep everything she had learned and done here – on the other hand, the battle was also for compatibility between herself and Keldar, whom she fought. The battle lasted well over several hours, but in the end Geni won. After healing the worst of her injuries, she was sent back to the Disney Castle. Geni and Keldar were the last of the groups to be tested, and so after that it came time to pair them up: either with the person they had fought, or someone else. The Imperial Council decided to place Keldar and Geni together in the end and so their marriage was announced publicly.

Eight months ago was the first time Geni learned about this decision. She was absolutely furious about it, and actually stormed into a session the council was having to confront them about it. She threatened to leave permanently, but something or someone changed her mind. When she walked out, her bubbly personality was gone leaving a shell of a person behind – quite like her actions tonight after you left," she said pointedly to Riku. "After that, everything settled down. Once her visitation was over, she was ordered to return to the outside and finalize her preparations for living here permanently."

"That explains a lot," Sora murmured quietly.

Kairi had a puzzled look on her expression. "Excuse me, but does the Imperial Council arrange all of the marriages here?"

Philothea shook her head. "Not all of them."

"Just the important ones?" Kairi pressed.

Philothea looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry – I am not allowed to disclose that information to you."

"In any case," Izumi interrupted, "Those are the reasons for Geni's arranged marriage. If she did not tell any of you any more than that as of yet, she will soon. And as for why she didn't tell any of you the entire truth in the first place is a mystery to me," she said, throwing up her hands in frustration. "That girl can be a mystery wrapped in a puzzle surrounded by an enigma if she wants to be."

"That's enough Izumi," Philothea curt-tailed her. "Now, since that is all we can tell you, I believe it is time for all of us to retire for the night. You all have a busy day tomorrow at the archives."

"Where are the archives?" King Mickey asked, still uneasy over the night's events.

"In the Great Library of the Academia. It is where all information is stored and higher learning is conducted. It is one of the largest buildings here in the capital, followed by the stadium and palace. The Academia is divided into many smaller buildings, with many diverse studies encompassed in each. You will see more of this tomorrow. For now, though, it is time for sleep." Philothea stood up, quickly followed by Izumi.

"Thank you for everything this evening," King Mickey said to both of them.

"It is no problem. I hope your stay here will be much more pleasant from now on," Philothea said with a sad smile. "Now, let us go."

Later, when the room was dark and snoring just beginning to come from his friends, Sora lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling thinking over the day's events. He was concerned about Geni and Riku; he knew Riku wasn't asleep yet, and neither was Geni. He barely felt any emotion coming from her besides the fact that she was concentrating on something. Riku continued to toss and turn in the bed next to him. How had their relationship gone from wonderful to nonexistent in less than a day? Sora groaned inwardly. _What have we gotten ourselves into..._

Sora woke to a bright light piercing through his eyelids. He moaned, pulling his blanket over his head to block it out. After allowing himself to adjust to it, he pulled the covers down so he could peek out into the room. Surprisingly, he was the first one awake; Donald and Goofy were still sawing logs across the way, and King Mickey and Riku slept on oblivious. Sora sat up, seeing that the sheers covering the windows showed it to be early morning – not too long after sunrise, he assumed. _Weird_, he thought to himself. _I never wake up early – unless I've gone to bed really early the night before._Sora flung his covers off, and threw his legs over the side of the small bed and stood up to stretch.

Listening, he could hear mumbled sounds coming from out in the hallway. Tiptoeing across the room, he opened the door a crack and peeked his head out. He could see at least six or seven people moving about, talking in quiet voices. Some were eating, while pointed at and discussed books spread out between them.

"Oh! Good morning Sora!" Sora quickly turned his head to see the one of the boys from the night before. "Did you sleep well?"

Sora nodded. He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door gently behind him. He was glad he had packed an extra pair of shorts and a t-shirt just in case. "What time is it, um...?" he fumbled.

"The name is Kyon. And it's seven in the morning. I'm surprised – your sister always said you were a late sleeper," he added with a laugh.

Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I know." Looking out into the courtyard, he asked, "Does everyone always get up this early?"

"Not all of the time. Many of the people living here are still students in some shape or form, and have classes at the Academia. Others are in training or are apprentices so they go to their on-site class with whatever master they are training under. And still others are already earning their keep in the city."

"Oh, I see," Sora replied, nodding even though he didn't quite understand everything Kyon had told him. "I did have a question though. We're supposed to be at the archives today, but I don't know where that is."

"Oh. Well I suppose you'll probably walk over there with someone heading to classes. I believe your sister already left for the Academia – I think she had a lecture this morning. That's right! I saw her and Elwen walking out when I came down this morning for breakfast."

"A lecture?" Sora repeated, confused. Suddenly, something clicked. "Wait – Elwen said something about helping to prepare a lecture in the auditorium with her this morning. Does Geni help the professor or whoever is talking?"

Kyon gave Sora a strange look. "Help?"

"Yeah – like an assistant or an aide..."

"What?" Kyon exclaimed, before laughing. "Oh no – you've got it wrong. Geni's the one _giving_ the lecture."

"Oh," Sora said. "Wait! What?" he answered, confused.

"Yeah. Your sister is a high ranking music apprentice – she's actually not that far from getting her full rank so she can teach full time. For now, though, she teaches part time to the younger classes. She's really good at it too – whenever she does teach her classes are standing room only. You should go see her while you're there today."

"When does her lecture start?" Sora asked him earnestly.

"Hmm...I think her first one begins at eight, and then she has another at ten. If you want, you and your friends could go to the later one – it's the same lecture for both times, I believe," Kyon told him excitedly.

"Really? I mean, no one would mind?"

"Of course not. I mean, as long as you were quiet and only watched and didn't participate, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Who knows though – she was still pretty upset when she left this morning," he added quietly.

"Oh." Sora looked at the floor, fingering a thread on his t-shirt.

"Well, don't worry. Geni doesn't stay in her moods for long. She'll probably be back to her old self by tomorrow at the latest. Either way, I have to go. I have class myself soon."

"What kind of classes?" Sora asked him.

"Well, I'm in training to enter the Defense Assembly. My specialties are hand-to-hand combat and strategy." Kyon paused. "And that's about it."

"Um...do you mind if I ask you one more question?" Sora asked timidly.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Everyone wears those pieces of fabric with the symbols on it, but many are different colors, and some are all of the same color. What do they mean?"

Kyon looked down. "Oh, that? Well, the colors indicate what you are studying – for me, red means my learning is with the Defense Assembly and learning weapons, combat, strategy, and such. Most of the time, everyone is divided between this branch, the sciences, and the arts. Science is green, and the arts are blue. Within each of these branches are different sub-branches which is where the symbols and the variety of shades of the primary color come from. So, the more colors and the more symbols someone has, the higher they are ranked within their branch. Understand?"

Sora nodded, looking down at Kyon's own panels. "So you're really high up there too, aren't you?"

"I am. I only have another year of classes at the Academia to go before I can become a full member of the Defense Assembly. Then I'll be working with my father in the City Guard, and maybe even the Palace Guard," he added on eagerly. "Either way, I've got to go now. I'll see you later?" Kyon asked as he began to walk away with a wave.

"Yeah," Sora answered slowly, waving goodbye as Kyon rounded the corner and out of sight. He turned and walked back into the room where his friends continued to slumber, closing the door softly behind him. Padding softly across the carpeted floor, Sora walked over to a side window and pulled aside the curtains, earning him a view of another apartment complex to the left and right, but in front of him – or directly behind the building – was the canal. Already small ships and larger ferries were beginning to float up and down in the early morning light.

Turning his head, he saw that his four friends were still deep asleep. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and envisioned the link he had with his sister. He found the bright white thread that connected the two of them and followed it in his mind. Walking along he could feel her thoughts and emotions getting stronger, but still blurred. After a moment, he could almost see her at the other end.

Geni suddenly turned around, feeling like she was being watched. Seeing no one in the hall yet, she turned her curiosity inwards to find that Sora was calling for her. She went and sat down on a chair, closing her eyes to better communicate with him. It wasn't very often that the two actually used their link to talk to each other – it actually took a great deal of concentration and energy the farther apart they were. And while in each other's presence, they could normally just read each other very well.

_What is it Sora?_ she asked him, crossing her arms in slight annoyance as he walked up to her using the white thread as a guide. They were standing in an enormous hall that had neither a beginning nor an end inside of their minds; it was the protective barrier that surrounded the link the two shared with each other. _I'm a little busy right now._

_I know_, he answered sheepishly. _Kyon told me that. I just wanted to see if you're okay, considering last night_, he said as he looked her straight in the eyes.

Geni blinked. _I'm fine_, she answered.

_Not according to Kyon,_ Sora countered. _He said you were still pretty angry when you left this morning_.

_That's because I was running a little late_¸ she replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. _Look, Sora – I tried to tell all of you, but obviously I couldn't, seeing as Elwen did that job for me. And I know I hurt Riku..._ Geni's voice quieted as she looked away from his inquiring eyes. _But right now the only thing we can do is go on with our lives. I have a class to teach soon, and all of you have to go to the archives to research the Keyblade._

_I know that! Kyon told me,_Sora answered. _But, do you think we could come and watch you talk? I know Riku won't want to...but I do at least. No matter what happens, you're still my sister and nothing will change that – even if you are getting married to a complete stranger._ Sora walked forward, shortening the length of the white thread between them. _Don't close yourself off from us,_ he said to her softly.

Geni was silent. _You should get back,_ she answered quietly before she turned around and began to walk away.

Sora watched her go, her thoughts and emotions becoming blurred once more. He tried walking forward towards her once more, but he bumped into an invisible wall. Geni was shielding her thoughts from him again. Sighing dejectedly, Sora turned around and walked back along their link until he was once more opening his own eyes. He blinked once, and saw that King Mickey was standing in front of him looking concerned. Donald and Goofy were still snoring, and Riku was sleeping noiselessly.

"So?" the tiny mouse asked him quietly.

Sora shook his head. "She wouldn't talk with me. I tried to talk about last night, but she brushed it aside and cut me off. I know she's a little angry, but I think she's more depressed than angry at the moment."

Riku listened in on the conversation, pretending to be asleep. He was still angry at Geni, for what she did and kept from him. He knew Sora was only trying to help both of them reconcile with each other; on the other hand, Riku doubted that would ever happen. Every time he thought of her all he could see was red: a furious red, a bleeding heart red.

"I see. Where is she at the moment?"

"At the Academia. She's giving two lectures this morning, as far as Kyon told me. He also said we could go to the latter one if we wanted to."

"She's lecturing? On what?" King Mickey asked as one of his eyebrows rose. Riku mimicked the action, both unaware of their behavioral similarities.

"Kyon said she's a music apprentice, apparently. So it must have something to do with music. Can we go before we head over to the archives? Kyon said as long as we only watched it would be okay."

"Well, I don't see why not. When is it?"

"Kyon said ten o'clock this morning."

"A little over two hours then. Well, if we are, we had better get everyone else up otherwise by the time we figure out how to get there it will have already started."

"Alright!" Sora said with a grin. He ran over a jumped into the air, landing first on Goofy and then on Donald before switching back and forth between their beds. Donald jumped high into the air, quacking indignantly, while Goofy slept on in peaceful bliss. Riku decided to get up after the first few ear-splitting quacks before either Sora or King Mickey had found out he was eavesdropping.

"...And here is the map," Izumi told them as she handed a rolled up piece of parchment to Kairi. "It is a map of the entire city, along with the ferry schedule and where to get on and off for the Academia and Dawn Dwellings. I've also," she paused, grabbing several cloth bags off of the counter and handing one to each person, "made up a _desinare_ for each of you for later. Now hurry – the ferry is going to leave soon!" she said with a smile as she shooed them towards the door.

"Thanks for everything Izumi," Kairi told the blonde gratefully.

"_No problema_. Have fun and if you get lost, look for one of the Guard!" she called as the group walked out of the door.

Kairi laughed. "What's so funny?" Sora asked her as they walked along the cobbled path.

"Izumi will make a wonderful mother someday," she said with a smile.

Sora felt his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink at this statement for some reason, and turned his face away to look at the buildings around them. "So, which ferry do we get on?" he asked no one in particular.

"The same one as yesterday, with that Jalin feller," Goofy said as he peered at the map Kairi was holding.

"The map says he should be able to take us directly to it," Kairi said as she studied the paper. "You guys should see this – the area where the Academia is huge. I don't know how we're going to find our way around there without some other directions once we get there…"

"Whelp, let's just get there then and take it from there," King Mickey said firmly.

Riku walked within the group, yet still not a complete part of it. He was lost in his own thoughts as they strolled along the path back towards the bridge they had crossed the night before. In his mind, he replayed the events from the night before, searching for any hidden meanings within Geni's actions. Elwen's revelation to them revealed much about her behavior since her trip with Queen Minnie. No matter how hard he studied the past week and a half, all he could see was how much Geni had lied to them, especially him. He also realized now that at times she had tried to tell him something, but something had suddenly come up or he himself had brushed it aside. That, he could at least blame on himself; the rest of it was completely due to Geni purposefully keeping it from him. _Why?_Riku kept asking himself. His anger had slowly been abating, but the injuries his heart had sustained were still festering.

"So what do you think?" Riku looked up, seeing Kairi staring at him waiting for an answer.

"Of what?"

"Weren't you listening?" Kairi said exasperatedly. Even Sora was giving him an odd look now.

"I guess I wasn't," Riku snapped.

Kairi's eyes widened for a moment, before looking away. Sora's eyes narrowed at his best friend. "Get over yourself Riku," he said stonily. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy fell silent at hearing the seriousness of his voice. "It's not our fault you yelled at her last night. She was trying to explain everything before you stormed off like a child throwing a temper tantrum."

Riku and Sora's eyes met, staring each other down, before they both pulled away. "There's the ferry," Sora said in general to the now quiet group as they began to walk over the bridge. They followed several people up and over who now waited in line as the ferry pulled up to the dock.

"Pass cards! Pass cards!" Jalin called as he attached the ferry to the dock and walked out over the gangplank. Sora was first in line, and when Jalin saw him he frowned. "Had a bit of a falling out between you last night?" he asked Sora quietly as he placed the pass card under the glowing stone.

"Well, we found out Geni is getting married, if that's what you mean," Sora replied just as quietly as he took his card back from him.

"Ah," Jalin replied. "No wonder she was so quiet this morning. Next." Jalin took Kairi's pass card and swiped it under the stone. "Here you are little lady. Next." Sora and Kairi walked onto the ferry and waited for their friends. Jalin looked up, seeing that Riku was next. As Riku handed him his card, Jalin looked at him with great scrutiny before placing his card under the stone. "Don't do anything you'll regret," Jalin said under his breath as he handed Riku's pass back to him. He held onto it for a moment, meeting the teen's aquamarine eyes with his chocolate brown ones, before he abruptly let go. "Next," he barked to Goofy.

Riku looked back at the older man as he stepped onto the ferry. Once Jalin had swiped the cards of Donald and King Mickey, there were no more passengers. "One minute to disembarking!" he called out loudly as he untied the ropes from the dock and went below deck.

Riku made his way to the back of the ferry and found a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. He carefully walked up the worn steps to find the second level was empty yet. Looking around, he noticed a bench lining the edge of the railing all around him. He walked quickly to the front of the boat and sat down, watching the scenery around him. From higher up he had a decent vantage point of the residential area around him. Most of the buildings were the same, at least from the outside: domes made of light brown stones with the occasional window. There weren't many people walking around, and the ones who were seemed to usually stroll along and take their time.

A sudden small lurch let Riku know that they were underway. As the ferry slowly began to makes its way down the canal, he could see a large open ring of water directly in front of them. Several other boats were already inside of it, circling around. As Jalin's ferry joined them, they completed one revolution around the small island in the center before heading back the way they had come, this time on the opposite side of the canal. Unlike last night, though, he could see the difference once they had turned around. Almost immediately they entered the commercial section of the city. Instead of domed buildings, long rectangular buildings with many doors and open markets dominated the areas around the canal. Boats full of goods and supplies drifted up and past them, making their way to their prospective buyers.

The sheer amount of people also surprised Riku. Even though they wore a similar style of clothing, every person was unique either with the embroidered panels everyone wore, or what kind of clothing they wore. Occasionally he saw a guard in the silver armor like the ones at the gate by the Healer's Pavilion he was at yesterday, but for the most part he could only assume that the occasional person with a weapon was part of the Guard as well. If not…well, it did not seem like crime or violence was a major problem here if one at all.

Riku was left alone for most of the trip. They made a total of four stops before anyone even came up to the second level. Sora walked up the stairs, looking around and finally seeing Riku sitting at the far end watching the scenery pass by slowly. Sora watched his friend momentarily before he decided to speak. "Nice place, isn't it?" he said as he walked up to him.

"Yeah." Riku blinked, turning his head slowly to look at his friend.

"The next stop is ours, which is why I came to get you," Sora explained at Riku's blank expression.

"Oh. Thanks," he said.

Sora sat down next to Riku. "You know, I was hoping we could go see what Geni does here – considering she's been coming here most of her life without anyone besides Queen Minnie knowing about it. Kyon said she's lecturing about something with music this morning. I was planning on going to watch part of it before we went to the archives." Sora paused, seeing if Riku was reacting to any of this. His friend looked at him impassively, his eyes set on something behind him. "So, I was wondering if you wanted to come with us. Maybe seeing Geni in her normal role here would help all of us understand her a little better and her reasoning behind everything in the past," he concluded.

Riku was silent. Sora was still trying to act as a go-between, fixing the tension between them. "It doesn't matter to me," he answered with a shrug.

"Good. Then _all_of us are going to watch then," Sora said with a grin. Before Riku could protest, telling Sora that not caring meant not going at all, he got up and walked down the stairs. "Our stop is next, don't forget," he called back to the silver-haired teen.

Riku shook his head. _How can he brush all of this aside so easily? Why doesn't he feel as betrayed as I do? I mean, Geni is his sister, his twin; the connection those two have is even closer than she and I had before._

"Next stop is the Academia! All out for the Academia!" Jalin's voice called out over the speakers. Riku stood up, stretching. The cool breeze played with his hair, revealing his bright aquamarine eyes. He quickly but carefully walked down the back steps and onto the crowded main deck. He saw Sora waving to him from near the gangplank. As the ferry slowed, he carefully made his way past the people waiting for their own stops.

"There you are. Did you enjoy the view?" Kairi asked him, almost timidly. Riku suddenly felt very guilty for snapping at her before.

"Sorry Kairi," he said, lowering his gaze. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

Kairi's expression brightened. "Apology accepted. Now, shall we try and start today off on a better foot?" she asked him.

Riku knew she was referring to his one-sided shouting match the night before. "I'll try," he said, looking away. He hoped his words at least appeased her, even if he didn't mean them whole-heartedly.

"Good."

"Let me through, please! Out of the way if you want to get off!" Jalin shouted as he pushed his way through. The group moved out of the way for him so he could take their passes and scan them under the glowing stone once more. "I take it I'll see you tonight then?" he asked Sora as he disembarked.

"Probably. Thanks for the ride," he said to him.

"No problem. Say hello to your sister for me," he told Kairi as he swiped her pass.

"We will," she answered him with a smile.

"Oh, and Sora?" he called as he finished with Riku's pass.

"Yeah?" he called back.

"Follow the blues," he shouted as the last of them stepped off of the gangplank.

"Thanks," he yelled back as Jalin began taking the passes from people boarding the ferry.

"What was that all about?" King Mickey asked Sora as the group congregated before beginning to walk down the street towards the Academia.

"Jalin reminded me of something Kyon had told me this morning. Each of the panels people wear has certain colors that relate to whatever they are studying. Red for studying combat, green for the sciences, and blue for the arts. Jalin said to 'follow the blues,' so we just have to follow whoever is wearing blue symbols and we'll find Geni's lecture hall," he finished with a confident smile.

"Oh, well that makes more sense now," Donald quacked.

"Well, does that mean we should follow those fellers then?" Goofy said as he pointed ahead of them. They all looked up to see at least a dozen teens all wearing panels with symbols in many colors of the sky. Some of them had several books they were carrying, others book bags, and some had hard-sided cases of varying size. One of them was even carrying a large object on their back that was unidentifiable.

"Let's ask them!" Sora said as he dashed ahead of them.

"Sora, wait a second!" Kairi called, before sighing as Sora took no heed of her words and ran up to the group. He tapped one of the young men on the back, who immediately turned around. Looking surprised, he conversed with Sora. The rest of the group immediately stopped to see who the newcomer was. Just as Kairi and the others caught up to them, they saw Sora point at them.

"Well why don't you come with us then?" the teen said to Sora. "That way we can all get a good seat."

"Thanks a lot. We might have gotten lost otherwise," Sora answered a bit awkwardly.

"I doubt it. People might have come up to you mistaking you for your sister as soon as you walked in," one girl said, making the rest of the group laugh.

"Did you get directions Sora?" Kairi asked him.

Sora turned, seeing his friends waiting patiently behind him. "Oh, sorry. Actually, they're going to the lecture too and said we could tag along with them."

"Come on then – if we don't hurry we'll end up being late," the young man said to them. "We're lucky that the music wing isn't to far from the main gate. It's just past the medical wing." The group turned around and began heading towards the Academia once more, but with six more humans and anthropomorphic animals in tow.

The Guards saluted the group as they passed under the large stone archway, once more entering in the maze of pathways. As like the day before, people scurried all over the place. Depending on the color of the symbols on the fabric panels everyone wore, there were slight differences to the basic uniform. Many people heading into the Healer's Pavilion wore ponchos of light green or over robes of hunter green; those with red symbols had rust colored sashes across their chests and over robes of crimson with weapons in hand; and those with blue symbols also wore cerulean sashes around their waists or midnight blue over robes besides carrying books or cases filled with unknown objects. On the other hand, people who had all three colors did not wear anything specific besides a choker around their neck with an engraved disc upon it.

"There are so many people here!" Kairi said with surprise.

"Of course. This is the main center of learning in the capital and surrounding areas. People come from all over to study here," their guide explained. "This way," he called to them as they suddenly to a right fork in the path. "The lecture hall is inside of that building," he said as he pointed at a tall building directly ahead of them.

Along with the two mixed groups, many other people dressed in different shades of blue were also heading into the building, talking excitedly among themselves.

"I've heard this is her first lecture since coming back to stay!" one girl said excitedly to her friend.

"I know! I've heard that the professors asked her to speak personally instead of using the normal rotation for the apprentices," the other girl mentioned.

"Well, she _has_ written three already. Most apprentices barely have their first!" the first girl exclaimed as the duo walked in through the glass doors.

"Hey, what exactly is this lecture about?" Sora asked the young man who was in front of them as they also walked through the glass doors and into the building. Immediately they were in an open hallway with many other hallways leading off in different directions. The walls were painted a calming blue with stripes of dark blue running horizontal to the floor. On the other hand, they followed the flow of people towards a large set of very old looking double doors down the main hallway.

He turned around. "Oh, didn't you know? Geni's lecturing about the innate power of music today to the first year music students – even though the upperclassmen will probably sneak into the seats as well. I mean, we are," he said with a laugh.

"What year are you?" Kairi asked him.

"Me? I'm a third year. Most of us are in the second and third years," he said as he gestured to his friends.

"What does that mean, exactly?" Riku asked quietly, finally speaking up after walking in silence for so long.

"Well, after the required general education is done – it's from five years to fifteen years– then you choose whether to begin a technical or manual career, or continue your education here at the Academia."

"What year is Geni?" Sora asked him.

He scratched the back of his head. "Well...your sister is a special case. She actually finished the general education coursework several years ahead of her yearmates, and began her apprenticeship within the Academia immediately. So technically she could be considered a fourth year already. That means it's her last year before she can earn her full apprenticeship. Once she has attained that, she can work towards earning her professorship or work as a professional musician." One of the teen's friends snorted at this, and he gave him a dirty look. "Here we are."

The group looked up to see a massive indoor amphitheater as they walked through the ancient wooden doors. The hall could hold at least several hundred people comfortably, at least. Most of the seats were already filled, especially those towards the bottom of the hall. Sora peered down to the stage where two people stood at the podium conversing.

"We'll be sitting back here," their guide informed them as they paused at a row of empty seats. "Will you be going down farther?"

"Um..." Sora replied, looking around.

"Excuse me young man. Are you planning on staying for the lecture?" Sora turned around to see an elderly woman in a dark blue over robe looking at him as she balanced herself on a beautifully carved wooden cane. "Well, are you?" she pressed.

Sora couldn't help but stare at the woman. "I know you..." he said slowly. His eyes suddenly widened. "The picture! You're Geni's teacher!"


	21. Lectures and Lunches

Chapter 20

"Geni's teacher?" King Mickey repeated, looking astonished.

"Yeah! Geni has a picture of her on her nightstand at the castle!" Sora directed his attention back to the elderly woman. "You're the one who taught Geni how to sing!"

The older woman studied Sora for a moment before giving them a small smile. "The resemblance is remarkable," she murmured softly to herself as she strode up to him slowly. She paused, leaning on her cane as she studied him, especially his face. Her expression then immediately turned impassive. "I will not ask you again. Are you staying for the lecture?" she demanded of him.

"We-we were planning to," he stumbled out, surprised at the sudden change in her demeanor.

"Then come with me. All guests must be seated with the observing professors." The woman brushed by him and began to carefully walk down the stairs towards the raised stage. Students quickly moved out of her way reverently, giving her respectful greetings as she passed them.

Sora stood still for a moment, wondering at what he should do. "What are you waiting for?! Hurry up!" Sora felt someone shove him gently but forcefully from behind. He turned his head to see the teen from before looking at him nervously.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked him, seeing the boy do a sweat drop.

"What's the matter? That professor is the head of the entire music branch here at the Academia! If she tells you to do something, you do it! Now hurry up before you get into trouble!" he said as he shoved him down the stairs.

Sora decided quickly if the young man was that nervous about one little encounter, he had better do as he says. "Let's go guys," he called over his shoulder. He quickly began walking down the steps to the bottom rows in front of the stage. Sora saw the older woman standing next to a row on the left side of the podium, waiting for them. He hurried, hoping his friends were behind him.

"Hurry up – sit down here," she commanded him as she pointed to the row next to her with her cane. Sora quickly turned and walked down the row of seats until he had assumed he had gone far enough for everyone to sit down. He turned and sat down on the soft seat and looked up at the podium. He could clearly see Geni standing there with Elwen, talking. Looking around, he saw that the entire hall was almost completely filled to the brim with teenagers and some younger adults. Behind him was a small group of older men and women, probably the observing professors the elderly woman had mentioned. As for her, she sat down at the end of the row behind him, and began conversing with a woman next to her. Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had indeed come and sat down next to him. Kairi seemed just as in awe as Sora was by the sheer amount of people in the hall with them.

The hall itself was massive. It looked quite old as it was; the seats sloped down to a smaller stage, while large arched windows let in a good deal of light high above them. The ceiling had enormous wooden beams that converged into the middle, created a large point. Since the hall was oval-shaped, someone had painted the walls an extremely light shade of blue to make it seem even bigger than it actually was.

Elwen leaned over, whispering in Geni's ear as she noticed the group sitting down. Geni turned her head slightly before whipping it back away from them. "I told you they would come," she whispered to her smugly.

"But why is Lirona with them?" Geni hissed back. "Don't tell me she –"

"She probably wants to see how you act under pressure. I mean, you can talk your way inside and out in front of anyone here; your friends barely even know you had a life outside of the castle. She's probably only trying to help," Elwen suggested.

"Yeah, help me be nervous." Suddenly, a low tone was heard three times in quick succession. "There's the bell. Good luck," Elwen said, giving her arm a quick squeeze before she walked to the side of the stage and sat down on a plain wooden chair. Taking a deep breath, Geni turned towards her awaiting audience.

"Good morning," she called out. Many of the people there returned her greeting; someone in the back even gave out a piercing whistle. Everyone laughed, and Geni even chuckled a little at the inside joke before schooling her face back into an impassive expression. "Thank you. For the first years joining us today for yet another discussion in the lecture series in our music program, my name is Genevieve. I am a fourth year here at the Academia, and I am looking forward to our studies together." Polite clapping was heard throughout the hall. "Now, for a few announcements…"

Sora listened as Geni rattled off some news and updates for the program, tuning out briefly when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head around to see one of the professors staring at him. "Are you Genevieve's brother?" the older man asked him.

He nodded. "My name is Sora…sir," he added on at the last second.

The man smiled at him. "No reason to be nervous son – just enjoy the lecture. Your sister is a wonderful speaker. And who knows; you might just even learn something," he added with a wink.

"I will, thanks," Sora said as the man leaned back to continue watching. Sora turned around and saw Kairi giving him a confused expression. Sora shrugged at her. Kairi nodded in understanding, and the two of them turned back to the lecture. Geni was just about to begin.

"…And that's all of the announcements for today." Just then Elwen stepped up to her and handed her a sheet of paper. Geni took it from her and read it quickly before turning back to her audience. "Ahem," she said as she raised an eyebrow. "It seems that most of the stringed instruments in the practice rooms have had their strings covered in cooking oil so our instrumentalist's fingers cannot grip them and keep sliding off. If anyone has any information regarding this, please see Master Amleth about it as soon as possible." As she placed the piece of paper in a cubby inside of the podium, quiet snickering could be heard throughout the auditorium.

"So…on to the topic of today's lecture. One of the most potent assets that we as musicians have in our arsenal are words of power. You have probably heard older students and professors discussing this, and as students of music you will all one day come to harness this power into its true form. Words of power, however, and not limited to music; the written word in literature also utilizes these principles as well.

Now, some of you may ask 'What _are_ words of power?' A word of power is a singular expression of influence over a particular aspect of reality. Grouping several of these words together can exponentially increase whatever outcome the words of power are consciously or unconsciously aiming for. In the case of literature, these combinations of words are much easier to find and use unlike when musicians use them. All of us have had fundamental training in the magical arts since the basic grades. It is because they only must be read or spoken aloud for the effect to take place. In music, on the other hand, words of power can manifest in three different ways: through played music, through sung music, or through a combination of both. As one rises through those ranks, the more powerful the words will become.

The greater question, however, is how do we know when we have discovered these words of power? Generally speaking, any one of us can speak a word or words of power in the correct combination at any time. However…that does not mean that anything will happen. For this power to be utilized, it must be done at the correct time, at the correct place, and with the correct intentions. Without these three factors in place, nothing will happen even if the words are played or sung. So now yet the next question: how do we know _when_ we have discovered these words proper usage? Or better yet, _how_ do we discover the words proper usage?

The answer is simple: innate will and experimentation. The words are linked, connected to us more deeply than any bond we will have with friends or family. Through this link to what we have created we have a slight inkling as to how the words will work, when, and where they will work as well. After that, with careful supervision, we can test this word or words and find to what extent their capabilities are." Geni paused, breathing deeply as the scratching of pencils and pens on paper continued throughout the hall. She waited a few more seconds before continuing.

"Now, for the actual steps. No one can teach you how in a step-by-step pattern, but we can offer insights as to how we ourselves have attained the words. To find this power is to develop a bond within you to your innermost thoughts and feelings. Words of power are brought into existence by what we feel and think, how we feel and think, and how we act on those feelings and thoughts. It may be that you are scribbling down random notes as a melody for an instrument or lyrics for a song, and you feel something. Something tugging at the back of your mind. If you pause, you may lose that thought and what was coming with it. I suggest if any of you feel this then go with the flow, as they say; allow your mind to wander and your unconscious to do the work for you. This is how many words of power come into existence.

On the other hand, the finished product of your scribbling may not make any sense to you at first. Whatever you do, _do not_ do anything else to it. Immediately take it to an upperclassmen or professor for further study. I do not mean to belittle any of you, especially the older students here today, but it has in the past become apparent that some words of power are more destructive than others. Many of you remember the west wing practice rooms disappearing last year for no apparent reason? Yet we could still walk through them; we could even touch the objects that were supposed to be there, yet everything non-living thing there was invisible." She paused for a moment to allow the students to recollect the event, or for others to pass it on. "That was caused by one of the third year students finding their first word of power within a four note phrase of music, and _humming_ it." Small gasps of surprise came from many of the students – some earning newfound respect for their occupation of choice. "From that one example, what could have happened if that student had tried playing it on an instrument, or singing it with different combinations of words. Who knows? The entire area could have been sent into another dimension.

That is an example of how using words of power may be dangerous. To move to a lighter note, good things come of them as well. This work was just finished recently after being tested for the past three years: a song of power which is sung that can completely heal a person of all physical injuries within its time span of less than one minute. The Healers were very happy to hear this, I've heard," she said with a small smile. Several good-natured laughs came from the audience.

"Alright. Now that we've discussed the theory and basics, it's time for the practical theory – which means questions by you and answers from me, if I can," she said, giving a quick glance to the adults sitting behind her friends. "The rest of the lecture is up to all of you, and how much effort on your part that you would like to put into the worth of your education here. Now, does anyone have any questions?"

Immediately, hands all over the auditorium shot up into the air. Geni smiled at this, a large full one unlike the ones she had given earlier. "It looks like we're going to be here for a while," she said with a laugh. "Alright. We'll start with the first years and head from there. Would all first years please raise their hands only?" About one third of the people put their hands down. "Good. All right – first question. You in the blue please," Geni said as she pointed to a young girl towards the front, making everyone laugh.

The girl stood up, obviously nervous. "Umm…have you written anything with words of power yet?" she asked in a loud and slightly shaky voice.

Geni nodded. "Yes, I have."

"What was it like?" the girl quickly said, ducking her head down.

"It was…" Geni paused for a moment, closing her eyes. "My first song was like having an out-of-body experience. I was doing some work for a theory class, when my fingers started flying across the page. I watched, but I couldn't control what my hand was doing. After I finished, I had realized that I had filled at least a dozen sheets of staff paper with notes and figures I hadn't even learned yet. Of course, as I said before, not all experiences will be the same. Thank you very much for your question," Geni said to her with a smile. The girl smiled back and sat back down, before urgent whispers took over between her friends and herself. "Next question. You please, over on the left?" she called out as she pointed to a teenage boy.

He quickly stood up. "Is there a type of song or instrument that words of power are invoked upon more often than others?" he called out.

Geni again nodded. "Yes. The majority of the discovered words of power are sung by a single voice. There is no particular genre to them. On the other hand, most songs of power – which is many words of power combined – have their power multiplied by however many people are singing it. So if it is a duet, it has twice the power; if it is a trio, three times the power; and so on and so on." The boy thanked her and sat down. Many hands were already lowered from the first two questions asked. "Alright – up in the center section," Geni said as she pointed to another young girl.

The girl stood up. "Can words of power or songs of power be used outside of the Realm?"

"Excellent question!" Geni exclaimed. "And the answer to your question is: yes, they can. As long as force of will and magic exist, words and songs of power will be able to influence the world around you. However, there is a down side: using it outside of the Realm lessens the power. Here, magic is used everyday and much of the world around us is made up of it. On the other hand, many worlds do not have magic. That is an important fact right there. Can anyone tell me why magic use is lessened on worlds that do not have magic?"

It was mainly the older students who raised their hands this time. "Yes – up in the back," Geni called, pointing to an older teen.

He stood up quickly. "It is because those worlds do not believe that magic exists. Hence, because of the lack of belief, the power it has is dwindled to almost nothing. So even if one were to use magic, their normal power would be a tenth or less of what it would be normally," he concluded.

"Exactly!" Geni said. "Any other questions?" she called out. She looked around, and saw one teen waving his hand around frantically towards her right. "I see your question must be quite important," she called out to them. "Please, go ahead."

Another young man stood up. "Could you, ah, could you show us an example of a word or song of power?" he said loudly. Many of the students nodded or agreed quietly.

Geni looked to the professors to her right. She also happened to see the curious faces on her friends and family, and one face that looked completely disinterested. Her heart fell at this sight, but she kept her face even. Looking back up at the professors, all five of them were nodding slightly – she had full approval. "Alright then. Elwen? Could you come and stand up here? And please bring my flute," she asked.

Elwen stood up from her chair and strolled to the center of the stage after grabbing a long, silver, cylindrical object from a stand next to her chair. "Here you go," she said as she handed it to her.

"Thanks. Please stand in the center of the stage so everyone can see you," she asked her politely. Elwen stood next to the podium in full view of all of the spectators. "Okay. This is a simple melody that changes a person's physical appearance to how the player wills it. Playing it forward will change it, while playing it backwards will undo it. Watch carefully." Geni stood in front of the podium, lifting the flute up to her lips, all the while keeping her eyes on Elwen. Gently, she took a deep breath and blew.

All of a sudden, everyone could feel a change in the atmosphere of the room. It was as if electricity were building in the air all around them, causing a large amount of pressure upon them. Geni played a slow, sad melody, her eyes trained on Elwen at all times. Elwen, on the other hand, was slowly being wrapped in a cocoon of wind, blurring her shape as Geni played on. Everyone watched so intently, seeing colors inside of the cocoon rapidly changing throughout a rainbow until Geni began to play one long note, signaling the end of the song. As she finished, the cocoon dissipated and the pressure inside of the room collapsed, allowing everyone to breathe deeply once more.

Intense giggling and laughing soon broke out as all beheld Elwen's new appearance. "So, how do I look?" she asked everyone as she posed with a large grin. Some could not help themselves anymore and began to laugh so hard their sides ached. Sora was in with the latter group. Elwen had a large complicated hairdo with loops all around her head, each in a different color of the rainbow. Her eyes were also purple with feline slits, and she had whiskers coming out from her cheeks to match. Her clothes were also covered with leopard print fabric, but still allowing the original design to come through. And last of all, to complete the ensemble, she had a large furry tail that whisked back and forth as she stood there. Geni stood there, giving her a small smile as she tried not to laugh. She hadn't meant to go full blown with extra appendages, but the look was priceless.

"Alright, you've had your fun. Now turn me back before the time is up," Elwen demanded lightly.

"Of course," Geni said, bringing her flute back up by her mouth.

"And I had better not crave catnip after this," she scolded her.

Geni was about to blow into the flute as Elwen said this, but what came out was more of a honk than a toot as she tried not to laugh into it. Trying to compose herself, many in the audience were still laughing behind her. "Quiet this time – otherwise the whiskers stay," Geni warned her softly.

Elwen shrugged, smiling. Geni brought the flute up to her lips and began to play the song backwards this time. It sounded strange as the pressure built up once more, causing several ears to pop. The wind cocoon covered Elwen once more, but within a minute it disappeared and Elwen was back to her old self once more. Just to make sure, she patted her cheeks and checked behind her.

The students, professors, and guests began clapping in unanimous applause once Elwen was back to normal. Geni handed her the flute and resumed her place back at the podium. She held up a hand for silence, and almost immediately the hall quieted. "That was just a small demonstration of what words of power can accomplish. Now, small classes will be issued to you starting soon to teach the already known combinations of words of power that involve music – beginning with the basics, such as the one I demonstrated to you today. This is our contribution to the Academia as a whole – not just playing on musical instruments or singing for the entertainment of the general populace, but discovering new and innovative ways to help or defend those near and dear to us." Suddenly, the three-note tone was heard all around them. "That is all for today's lecture it seems." Many students suddenly began to put away notes and collect papers, making a medium level of noise. "I also wish to remind everyone that the Midsummer Festival is coming up in a few weeks, and application sheets for all performers can be obtained from your counseling professor. Dismissed."

En masse the student body rose and began to trickle out of the hall. Geni collected her notes that she had written the night before, closing them gently so she could keep them for future reference. "That was great!" Elwen said giddily, bounding over to stand next to her. "I think that was your best one yet!"

Geni sighed heavily. "Not really. Next time, don't make me laugh as I'm about to play – you know how the professors get about being silly. It's bad enough that I went so far on your transformation as it is."

"I don't believe so," an older voice said. Geni and Elwen both spun around, immediately dipping into a bow with their right hands laid over their left fists.

"Madame Lirona," Geni said humbly from her bent over position. She could see the older woman's clothed feet and the bottom of her tan and dark blue robes. Her wooden cane rested easily next to her, her left hand resting upon it. The cane was beautiful; the dark mahogany wood was carved into spirals down to the bottom, but the wood twisted in such a way at the top it created a smooth ball for her hand to rest on.

"That transformation included not just clothes, but physical attributes as well: her hair and eyes, as well as the extra appendages of the whiskers and tail. It showed everyone, especially the first years, of how far one can actually go with that particular song of power. Well done."

Geni could feel her ears burning as she continued. "Thank you very much," she said quietly, still bent over.

"Now, I believe it is time for lunch. Why don't you take your brother and your friends to the refectory. I will see both of you this afternoon?" she added, more of a command than a question.

"Yes Madame Lirona," both girls intoned.

"Good." She turned, and as quickly as she could, walked back down the stairs at the side of the stage to join her colleagues.

"Geni!" Geni groaned softly, making Elwen giggle as they stood back up, hearing pounding feet darting across the stage. "That was so cool!" Sora exclaimed.

"Thanks," she replied quietly.

"How did you even know about all of that? Is that the kind of stuff you can learn here at the Academia? Can you show us around? I mean, we still have to go to the archives, but –"

"Sora, enough!" Geni said finally, a small vein beginning to pop out on her temple. She found it hard to believe at times that Sora was the same age she was - at least when he decided to sound like a hyperactive five year old. "Yes, I will show you around, but later. Right now it is time for lunch, so we need to head to the refectory."

"Okay, sorry," he said, backing off a little and looking slightly hurt.

Geni noticed his reaction and immediately felt bad for reprimanding him. "I heard they're serving mud pie for dessert," she told him quickly.

Sora immediately perked up at the word 'dessert.' "What's mud pie?" he asked her.

"It is chocolate pudding with chocolate cookies crumbled inside of it with whipped cream. Sometimes green frosting is added on top to look like grass. Overall, it's just a large sugar rush."

"Sounds like my kind of dessert!" he told her excitedly. As they were conversing, the rest of the group waited patiently below the stage.

"That was...interesting," Kairi said vaguely. "I guess I didn't really understand a lot of what she was talking about, but everyone else seemed really interested in it."

"I agree," King Mickey said. "More unanswered questions," he added with a sigh.

Kairi looked at him sadly, before turning around to watch the quietest member of their group. Riku was standing just behind them, looking at everything in the hall except for the stage. He had his head turned down slightly, so his long silver hair could hide his eyes and facial expressions better. He was clearly saying with his body language that he did not want to be there. "What did you think, Riku?" she asked him hesitantly.

Riku turned to look at her. "It was fine," he replied with a shrug. He turned away from her to watch as the last of the students were walking out of the large doors they had entered through.

"So let's go already!" Kairi turned around to see Sora pulling Geni by her arm towards the group. "Besides, Izumi already gave us food for lunch."

"She did?" Geni said, surprised.

"Yeah. It's all in my backpack," Sora said, pointing to the lone bag as it sat atop an otherwise empty chair.

"Well, I suppose we wouldn't have to eat in the refectory then," she said slowly as she and Sora walked down the steps, closely followed by Elwen.

"Then let's eat outside! It's too pretty a day to stay inside anyways," Elwen said. "We'll grab our food and we'll all sit in the commons."

By this time the three of them had rejoined the group. "That was a wonderful presentation," King Mickey said, walking up to Geni. "Very informative too. Your teachers must be very proud of you."

"Thanks," Geni replied, turning a slight shade of pink. "We should get going," she said, gesturing towards the doors. "I just have to put my flute in instrumental storage – it shouldn't take me more than a few minutes. Elwen, could you show them to the commons for me? I'll meet you in the refectory after I'm done." She looked at the group to see all of them looking at her, save one. She immediately turned and began to walk back towards the stage before she could hear Elwen's answer - even though she already knew she would do it.

"Sure," she said with a smile. "Follow me please!" she called to the group as she headed up the stairs. One by one Sora, Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy followed Elwen up and out of the doors. Sora turned around once to wave to Geni, and she waved back from the stage as she disassembled her flute. She was careful to gently pull apart the silver tubing, rubbing it down with a soft cloth inside and out before placing it in the velvet lined case. She forced herself to breath slowly and deeply; cleaning and taking care of her instruments calmed her like a form of meditation. She was so completely focused on her task that she didn't even hear anyone walk up behind her.

"Are they going to be problematic as well?" a male voice suddenly said behind her.

Geni stiffened slightly, but congratulated herself for not giving him the satisfaction of jumping up in surprise. "Keldar," she said coldly, continuing to finish without turning around to acknowledge him further. She could just imagine him standing there – his onyx black hair, short and spiky at the top but pulled into a small ponytail at the back; his dark russet eyes flecked with green; his uniform crisp and immaculate as usual with the red embroidery and sash across his chest; and the only personal item he wore – the choker around his neck that matched her own, except with a black band.

"Her majesty wants to meet with your foster father and brother sometime this afternoon," he continued. Geni worked in silence. "You can't protect them in ignorance forever," he said, a tiny bit of impatience working its way into his normally calm voice.

_Well, it's not like I had a _choice_ in the matter,_ she thought bitterly to herself. She placed the last tube in its spot and closed the case gently, snapping the clasps shut.

"Genevieve," he said, a warning tone in his voice.

She stood up, turned around, and walked right past him, ignoring him.

"Geni," Keldar almost growled, grabbing her bare arm as she past him. She immediately whipped her head around to stare him in the eyes, her own narrowing at him. Their bodies were only a foot apart as they stared into each others eyes, daring the other. "Don't – ignore – me," he said to her in a low voice.

Geni barked a laugh at him. "I will if I want to. You can't force _me_," she said to him cynically as she tried to yank her arm out of his grip.

Keldar squeezed her arm tighter, pulling her closer. He locked eyes with her for a moment, before letting her arm go. Geni immediately took a step away from him, refraining from but wanting to rub her now probably bruising arm. They watched each other, before Keldar spoke again, the tiniest hint of sadness in his voice. "Why do you hate me?" he asked her quietly.

Geni sighed, looking out into the auditorium. "I don't hate you Keldar," she answered softly after a moment. "But...maybe if you hadn't helped me back then, none of this would be happening now. Maybe both of us could be living the lives we want to, and not the lives we're forced to." She turned around and gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry; I am sure I'll see you later at the palace when classes are over for the day. There are still a few things I still need to..._explain_ to King Mickey and Sora before we go there."

"I understand," Keldar said, resuming his original attitude of aloofness, hiding his momentary lapse into humanity. "I look forward to...meeting them under better circumstances."

Geni nodded before she turned and walked down the steps leading into the seated area of the auditorium. Keldar watched her as she quickly walked up the steps and out the doors, leaving him alone in the enormous room.

"You know," a voice called out from behind him, "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar – as the saying goes."

"And curiosity killed the cat," Keldar retorted quickly, turning around to see Itsuki and Kyon standing near the back door to the stage. "What are you two doing here?"

"Eavesdropping, of course," Kyon said with a smirk. "After talking to Sora this morning, I wanted to see their reactions. On the other hand, what are _you_ doing here? I thought you said the arts were for the weak – or that's what you told her last time, I believe."

"They are. She should be spending more time within the Assembly than tooting her flute for some commoners. I do not doubt she would have more support from the Council if she were to prove herself within the arena more often."

"She did the last time she was there. And as far as I remember, you _did_ lose to a commoner. Or did you lose to no one?" Itsuki casually mentioned. Keldar remained quiet. "Considering you two are betrothed, you _really_ should try and come to terms with each other. You know, you two are the most stubborn people I have ever known. If you would at least try to be more civil with each other –"

"I thank you for your advice, but I have to get going," Keldar suddenly said, interrupting him. "I have an important meeting soon with several members of the Imperial Council. Goodbye." He strode past them stiffly and out the back door.

"Man, is he ever going to lighten up?!" Kyon said with a huff.

"Only when he finally realizes that the two of them are more alike than they think," Itsuki replied with a smile. "Come on – let's go get some lunch."

"Hey, this stuff is really good!" Sora exclaimed. The six of them were sitting under one of several large trees with bluish-green leaves in an enclosed area in the center of the Academia. The sun was shining brightly, and it wasn't too hot; a cool breeze blew through the branches, and the grass was still fresh and cool to sit upon. Many other people in all colors of the Academia were sitting there that day, enjoying the pleasant weather. The six of them were eating a lunch Izumi had prepared for them; foods they had eaten on the islands and foods they had never seen before. Everyone was enjoying themselves...even Riku (to a certain extent). "I wonder what's taking Elwen and Geni so long?" he said as hit bit into a soft pastry.

"The line is probably just really long," Kairi assumed. "They should be here any minute."

"I hope they hurry – I wanted to ask Geni some questions before we headed to the archives this afternoon," he said. He turned and looked at Riku who was quietly eating a sandwich. He had barely said an entire paragraph since he had gotten up that morning. And he had never mentioned nor spoke to Geni yet either. Sighing, Sora took another bite of his pastry. If only they could talk about it, just maybe...

"Hey! We're here!" Sora looked up to see Elwen waving as she and Geni walked near them. They each had a small bag in hand. Elwen came over and plopped down right next to Sora, while Geni slightly more dignified settled herself on Elwen's other side. "Oh! Is that Izumi's dango? I love that stuff!" Elwen exclaimed pointing to Sora's pastry.

"Is that what it's called?" Sora said to her. "It's really good." Looking over, he asked her, "What did you guys get for lunch?"

"Well, I got Swedish meatballs and pasta, and Geni took a hot bento."

"What's a bento?" Kairi asked her, looking over at the small box Geni was in the process of unwrapping.

"It's a Japanese style sushi lunch," Geni explained, showing it to them. "It has rice, vegetables, and in this one, shrimp. I like to mix it all up at eat it like a stir-fry."

"Looks tasty," Sora replied, before returning to his dango. Geni watched him for a moment, reminiscing, before smiling and turning to her own lunch. She had of course noticed that Riku was sitting a ways a way; she was still hurt from his words the night before, and so didn't even make eye contact with him. Instead, it was King Mickey who was the first to distract her.

"Geni," he said to her. She looked over at him. "I wanted to ask you a few questions about this morning, if I may."

"Of course King Mickey. What did you want to know?" she said to him, turning to give him her full attention as she ate her lunch.

"You said you were a fourth year here at the Academia. Did you begin classes here when you were eleven then?"

"Not...exactly. You see, the years mentioned in the rank aren't really chronological years. There are a certain amount of classes you must pass, knowledge to learn and demonstrate, before you can advance to the next 'year.' Some people have been in the same year class for four or five years. Others progress very quickly through them, like Elwen and I. You see, to pass into the next year class, you must have found a song of power on your own."

"I see. I've also heard that you passed ahead of your own class before you entered the Academia. How long was that, exactly?" he said.

"Well, I finished that course about one year early, and I've been here at the Academia ever since. Of course, with the faster time rate here, that means before I spent that year within the Organization I had been here for two years our time, fourteen years this time. I progressed through to the fourth year class for a little less than three years within each – which it quite fast considering how long it would normally take others."

"Gawrsh, you must have had to work really hard to get through it so fast," Goofy said with wonder.

"Yeah," Geni replied quietly.

"So...how long have you known that young man named Keldar?" King Mickey finally said after a moment of silence, broaching the unspoken topic since the night before. Elwen immediately looked over at Geni, searching her face for something. Geni looked at her, and some kind of silent message went between them, for Elwen looked away after a moment.

"Since I was six," Geni finally said.

"That long?!" Donald quacked in astonishment.

"He was several years ahead of me in school when we first met," Geni said softly.

"How did you meet?" Sora asked her. Geni was silent for the moment, choosing to take a bit of her lunch with the pair of chopsticks that had come with it.

"Oh, come on Geni – you can tell them," Elwen finally said, sounding exasperated. "It's not like you're total strangers."

"Fine. I was getting picked on by some of the older students for being an outsider, and Keldar stopped them," Geni said quietly. "Happy now?" she said to Elwen with a raised eyebrow.

"_Picked _on?" Elwen said, annoyed. "That's putting it mildly."

"Leave it alone Elwen," Geni murmured warningly.

"I can't – and they have a right to know since you won't ever tell them," Elwen said defiantly, eying Riku with a sideways glance. "Geni was getting beat up by a group of upperclassmen in the general school for being an outsider. You see, back then many people didn't want anything to do with anything or anyone outside of the Realm. And when Geni and Queen Minnie accidentally arrived here one day, and the Queen insisted she start her schooling here, parents forced their views on their children. So the children made fun of her, teased her, played tricks on her, got her into trouble, and hurt her every once in a while. And you took it all without saying a word, miss self-sacrifice," she said while poking Geni in the side. "Anyway, that day Keldar – who's was three years ahead of us – saw them beating Geni up. He didn't know who she was at the time, and went and pummeled them all so hard they went crying to their mothers. He even took Geni to the Healer's Pavilion afterwards and –"

"Alright, that's enough," Geni finally said, her face pink. Everyone was already looking at her like she had sprouted another head as it was. "Can we just finish eating? You and I have to meet with –" Suddenly a floating ball of light shot past them, making them almost drop their lunches due to the wind that went with it.

"What was that?" Kairi cried out.

"A message; probably from –" Elwen began to say to Geni quietly so as to make sure the others did not hear her.

"I know – wait for it," she replied back softly. Geni was right – in a moment the ball of light had circled back (slower this time) and came down to rest right in front of her.

"What is that?" Sora asked her.

"A message from someone," Geni said. She touched the ball gingerly. As soon as she had, it turned a rusty red color and Geni instantly scowled. She set her lunch down and stood up immediately, looking around.

"What is it?" Elwen said, standing up. Just then, the sound of uniformly stomping feet reached their ears. People all around them jumped to their feet in respect. The two girls immediately looked towards the path from the palace. Geni's heart immediately jumped up into her throat, constricting her breath as she began to panic.

"Not now! Not now!" she whispered urgently, but it was too late. An entourage of armed guards was escorting her majesty, Dowager Queen Hisako, directly towards them. She could see Keldar as well as several other Council members walking directly behind her. As they came closer, all of her friends and family had stood up as well.

"Why is the Queen here?" Sora said to Geni as he turned to face her, but as he did he saw that her face was as pale as a sheet. "Geni? What's wrong?" he asked her worriedly.

Just then, the armed escort reached them. One of the guards came forward, bowing with his right hand over his left fist before he stood up again. He reached for an open rectangular cloth bag at his waist, and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment. He quickly unrolled it, and cleared his throat. "Dowager Queen Hisako extends an invitation to Sora Akeno, Riku Tamohara, Kairi Ruka, King Mickey, Court Magician Donald Duck, and Captain of the Guard Goofy to converse and discuss with her in a royal audience regarding the betrothal of Crown Prince Keldar and...Crown Princess Genevieve."


	22. Finally, The Truth?

Chapter 21

"Really?" Sora said, tilting his head in confusion. "Why does she want to meet with us about Geni's betrothal?" However, as soon as he finished speaking, he finally noticed the utter silence that surrounded him. Sora looked around, finally noticing that all eyes were on Geni. Geni, however, was staring down at the ground, her hands in a vice-like grip in front of her. As Sora soon noticed, in spite of this, King Mickey was in utter shock as he stood looking at his foster daughter. "What's the matter King Mickey?" Sora asked him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said quietly to Geni, as if he hadn't heard Sora's question. The tiny mouse looked hurt beyond measure. "You and Minnie both knew, didn't you?"

"King Mickey, I..." Geni began as she gestured with her hands. After a moment, she stopped and her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry; we should have told you when I found out."

"King Mickey? Geni? What's going on?" Sora asked them with concern, stepping forward.

"Sora," Kairi interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder. Sora turned his head to look at her. "Think about it: what did he just call Geni?"

Sora was quiet for a moment in contemplation. "Crown Princess Genevieve. Why?"

"Sora...Geni isn't a princess – at least not back on the islands or at the castle," King Mickey said suddenly. "She may be our foster daughter, but she isn't in line to take the throne back home because she was not originally from our world. We have been trying to change that law for years, but at this very moment Geni is no more a princess than you are a prince."

Sora's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait! So that means...that means Geni is a princess only _here_? But why?" he said, turning towards her.

"Because she has proven herself time and again that she is quite capable of ruling," a soft voice suddenly said from behind them. Elwen immediately bowed down low, although Geni remained standing. Sora turned around slowly to find that the queen had walked past her Guards and up to their small group. "You see, Sora...the monarchy in this Realm is not decided by blood or family. It is decided by testing the younger generation in a multitude of trials; tests of battle prowess, tests of magical capabilities, tests of the mind, tests of the spirit, tests of personality, and most of all...tests of compatibility with someone who they can rule alongside with."

"Compatibility?" Sora said slowly. Then his eyes widened even more as he understood. He swiveled around to Geni. "Your battle...that was a test of compatibility with Keldar. That was your battle to see if you would be the next in line to rule?"

Geni finally looked up at Sora. So now he knew. She nodded slowly. "I didn't know until afterwards that it was a Battle Royale. I had heard that another couple was going to be selected, so I wasn't worried when I fought him. But my assumptions proved false, and so when I came back the next time I was crowned as the future queen of the realm, and Keldar as the future king." She turned to King Mickey. "Please forgive me, and Queen Minnie, for hiding this from you. We knew you would try and protest this, but it is magically binding between us due to the ceremony performed during the time Queen Minnie and I were on our trip. I was allowed to visit the castle and islands once more before I came back here. And now that I have returned...I can never leave this place again. If I were to even try to..." she trailed off. "It doesn't matter. That is the bottom line: I am betrothed to Keldar, and we are the future rulers of the Realm. And the price for assuming that role is I can't leave the Realm ever again." Geni sighed as she finished her monologue. She watched the reactions of her friends as they digested the information she had given them. One by one, some looked confused or sad; some looked angry or detached. Geni breathed deeply once again before she continued. "The only thing left is to gain the permission of the last of my nearest relatives: Queen Minnie has already given her consent, which leaves the two of you, Sora, and King Mickey."

"Which is what I was coming to speak to all of you about," the Queen finished. "I see, though, I have interrupted everyone's lunch though. However, this matter can wait until later."

Just then Sora heard sputtering coming from behind the Queen, and he leaned over to see an older man quickly trotting up behind her, wearing the red uniform of the Defense Assembly. "Your majesty! We must perform the ceremony at once to make the match binding. It would not do well for our people's moral if they do not feel secure, knowing that their future rulers have not been through the proper rites yet." The man breathed deeply and was about to continue before the Queen cut him off.

"You are right, Advisor Donovan, in saying that. But it is also necessary that the candidate's family knows full well what they will be agreeing to as well. I would ask all of you to meet with me in the palace after classes have finished for the day to discuss all of this, and then possibly perform the ceremony as early as tonight or tomorrow morning. Is that all right with you?" the Queen said, turning to face Geni.

"As your majesty wishes," she said softly, bowing.

"Good." Dowager Queen Hisako turned towards the rest of the group. "I am truly sorry for throwing your lives into chaos over this. However, she is the most qualified girl in the entirety of the Realm whom the Imperial Council _and_ I could agree upon to take my place after I am gone. Now, I believe that all of you still plan on heading over to the archives to begin your research yet today?"

"We do, your majesty," King Mickey replied slowly. "Now, if you'll please excuse us, we must be going." He bowed low to her, but stiffly, before turning around. "Let's go guys – times a-wasting." Donald and Goofy immediately began to pack up the remainder (if any) of their lunch and walked over to stand next to him. "Sora? Kairi? Riku?" he said to each in turn.

Sora looked from King Mickey to Geni, seeing her standing there with her stony face. She bore no expression – not hurt, not anger, not even sadness. "We'll see you later," he told her gently as he turned around to pick up his lunch. Kairi followed suite, after giving her an encouraging smile and wave.

Riku, on the other hand, had stood there and listened with uneasiness growing in the pit of his stomach. He had been hurting ever since Geni's betrayal to him the night before, and purposefully ignoring her all day. However, being the person he was, Riku slowly had been coming around and thinking about the circumstances Geni had been through and the reasons for not revealing her hidden life to them – especially him. Throughout her lecture, seeing how she was admired and respected by the people around her, and while they were eating lunch, hearing even more about her past, he fought an inner battle to finally speak up and at least try and talk to her civilly about everything that had transpired. But then the Queen had showed up, her entourage calling her a 'Crown Princess.' Even without Sora's questioning, Riku had already known what that had meant. He also knew that as of now their relationship was permanently over. Geni wasn't just getting married – she was getting married in order to rule over the entire Realm. Their relationship was insignificant compared to that – and so was he. His feelings, for her and for him, didn't matter anymore.

So what did Riku do? Did he finally speak up and at least apologize to her? Did he walk over and give Keldar or the Queen a piece of his mind? The answer is: none of the above. He packed up his lunch and quietly walked over to where King Mickey was standing, avoiding her gaze. He felt like a child and a coward at the same time; he was too childish and too cowardly to listen and try to understand the big picture: that the universe didn't revolve around him. So instead of doing the right thing right away, he allowed the tension to continue to rise.

The Queen began to speak again once she saw the group was finished. She eyed Geni carefully, noting her expressions and behaviors. "I will have someone escort you directly to the archives so that you may begin your work this afternoon." The Queen turned back towards her entourage. "Fida?"

"Yes, your majesty?" One of the female Guards, but one not dressed in silver armor, stepped forward and bowed. She was middle-aged looking, with a few gray hairs in her soft brown hair, but her dark eyes were sharp, her build muscular yet petite.

"Please escort King Mickey and his friends to the archives, and then to the palace once they are finished."

"As you wish, your majesty," the woman said, rising from her bow. "Please follow me," she told the group of six as she walked up towards them. One by one the group followed her deeper into the Academia, walking past silent but curious faces.

The Queen turned back towards Geni after the group had traveled a fair enough distance. She saw how much distress the girl was in, even though her face and eyes were clear of emotion. She had watched her grow up, seeing her failures and accomplishments over the many years, as if she were her own child. And now, she was putting her through so many hardships just to please everyone but her. However, if she felt like she was a mother to Geni, there was someone else who was much more important than she was - the person who was like Geni's grandmother, and the person who was the first to take her in and accept her within the Realm. "Genevieve," the Queen immediately said.

"Yes, your majesty?" Geni said, looking straight at her.

"I would like to see you along with your family and friends later when they have finished in the archives. For now, I believe that both you and Elwen have an important appointment to get to?"

Realization flashed across Geni's eyes, and briefly a look of thanks, before she schooled her features into an emotionless mask once again. "You are correct, your majesty. If you please, both of us will take your leave," she said, bowing once more.

"Of course. Have a pleasant afternoon girls," she replied, smiling at them.

"We will, your majesty," both girls replied at the same time, straightening together. Both quickly grabbed their half eaten lunches and quickly walked back towards the music buildings. Dowager Queen Hisako watched them go with a heavy heart. She saw Elwen place her hand on Geni's shoulder, and it hurt her to see the girl shrug it off.

"Your majesty?" The Queen turned, seeing her advisors, Keldar, and her Guards waiting for her. She caught Keldar's eye, but he turned his head away from her inquiring gaze.

"Let us be off then," she said to them as she turned on her heel and began the short trip back to the palace, her entourage in tow.

As they walked in silence, Sora had time to reflect over yet more new information in Geni's secret life. He had been adding everything up in his head, putting the pieces slowly together.

Several months after Geni had been attacked in Hollow Bastion when she was little, she and Queen Minnie had been taking a trip to see Master Yen Sid when they were caught in the dimensional portal and sucked into the Realm of the Keepers. The Queen then decided to allow Geni to study there in order to try and foster understanding between her people and the outside universe. Geni had then led a double life: one at the castle and one in the Realm. When she was 14, she had been tricked into joining the Organization. One year later, Sora freed her heart from the darkness. When they returned the first time to the castle, Geni left in secret that night and battled Keldar, coming home severely wounded the next day. Several months after that, she sacrificed her heart to Kingdom Hearts - but immediately had it returned to her whole due to her Nobody Cirèna showing up. After defeating Organization XIII and freeing Kingdom Hearts, all of them returned to their respective homes while Geni split her time between the castle and the Destiny Islands. Just before school started for them again, Geni left on a trip with Queen Minnie where she found out that she was going to be married to Keldar and that both of them would be the future rulers of the Realm. Which led them to now: Riku and now King Mickey were angry and felt betrayed by her, while the rest of them were just feeling confused and a little sad. Sora felt like he had a headache coming on from all of the events of the past two days. He placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose and massaged it gently, willing the slightly annoying ache in his head to go away. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Opening his eyes, he saw that Kairi was giving him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm fine," he told her quietly. The two of them were trailing the rest of the group; King Mickey and Riku headed the front directly behind their guide, followed by Donald and Goofy, and then them.

"I know _you _are," she told him softly.

Sora nodded in understanding. "We've got to get some straight answers - and all of them - soon before this gets really out of hand," he told her. Currently, they were still walking down the same stone pathway as they had always been, but had passed in between dozens of different buildings by now. "Riku and King Mickey are taking this hard; I can't even tell what she's feeling right now," he told her sadly. Geni had cut off their link totally and completely. Sora felt alone, like he was missing an important part of himself at the moment.

"But I bet you anything that she's feeling the exact same way," Kairi said gently. "You are as much an important part of her life as she is in yours. You are both halves of the same cookie, but now someone has separated you and licked out the filling," she explained simply.

Sora snorted quietly at the comparison. "Thanks Kairi," he told her gratefully as he squeezed her hand once more.

"Anytime," she replied with a smile.

Just then, their guide called back to them. "We're here!" she called. Looming in front of them was a massive building; it was rectangular, with a large dome centered in the middle of its roof. The dome was made entirely out of square glass panels that sparkled in the sunlight. "This is the archives; all knowledge, data, information, books, etcetera is stored here for the use of the general public. I will take you to see the Librarian, and she'll see to it that all the information you need is brought to you. Now, if you'll follow me inside?" she said, gesturing towards the building. She turned around and led them towards yet another set of ancient wooden doors. Pushing one of them open she stepped inside quickly. Sora followed close behind, but as soon as he stepped through he blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden change of bright light to much softer lighting. Once he did, he was amazed.

There were books everywhere, stacked neatly in shelved bookcases that were as tall as the lofty ceiling high above him. And the bookcases themselves were numerous as well; there were an infinite number of aisles between them, crisscrossing in an intricate pattern. Sora was amazed at how many different kinds of books there were as well; in fact, it reminded him of Geni's own personal library back at the castle. There were large books, small books, thick books, thin books, books looking like they were hundreds of years' old, books that looked brand new. And there weren't just books there either; there were scrolls, glass display cases showing off valuable pieces of history, and many desks with lamps giving off soft glows as people worked diligently beneath them. High above them, the domed glass ceiling gave off plenty of light, yet not enough that it would damage the precious volumes beneath it.

Quickly and quietly people moved from place to place, grabbing or replacing reading material, writing utensils scratching across paper, pages in books turning one by one. Sora looked around in utter fascination and amazement until he realized that everyone had stopped walking, and was standing in front of a large circular desk. Two people sat there in blue uniforms, sorting through reference materials and writing on several scrolls in front of them. One of them, a younger woman who wore a dark blue over robe, stood up and smiled at them. "Yes? How can I help you?" she asked them in a soft voice.

"These are the guests of Dowager Queen Hisako," their guide explained to her in an equally quiet voice.

"Oh! Of course! We have begun to prepare materials for you in the third study room. If you'll follow me please?" she motioned to them as she stood up and walked out from behind the circular desk and to their right.

"I will be waiting for you. Please tell one of the Librarians and they will find me when you need me," their guide told them as she bowed.

"Thank you very much," Sora called to her as the others began to follow the Librarian. He turned to watch them pass by row after row of the books, people looking up to give them the occasional glance before returning to their studies. As they rounded the corner of the last enormous bookcase near the wall, Sora saw that a large aisle ran down it with many doors positioned along it. The Librarian leading them stopped at the third door from the beginning of the aisle; however it was a good fifty feet or more before they stopped once they entered the aisle. A lamp on either side of the door, on all of the doors, gave off soft glows that illuminated the floors and books. The Librarian reached into her pocket, and brought out a key ring with dozens of jangling keys upon it. Some were small, others quite large, some shiny and new, while others rusted with age.

"Here we go," she said merrily as she took one of the newer keys and gently slid it into the locking mechanism above the door knob. The door opened with a soft hiss, gliding over the plush carpeting. The Librarian walked in ahead of them, holding the door for each as they entered the large room.

"Oh my..." Kairi said as looked at the enormous table surrounded by many comfortable chairs. Stack upon stack of books were piled high on the table, with scrolls stacked neatly at one end, some in protective tubing. A chandelier centered above the table gave off a little more light than the lamps in the corridor had, allowing for better sight when reading the old texts.

"This is all of the information we have upon the Keyblade War and the Keyblade itself. The history of the Keyblade is included within all of them, of course. Now, some of the documents are in very old languages that have become antiquated or extinct. For those, we have tried to give you the proper reference materials for them for their translation. However, we cannot give you our own translated copies under direct orders from Dowager Queen Hisako herself."

"Why is that?" King Mickey asked her as he opened a smaller book and skimmed the text.

"Because your search for knowledge is of your own concern, and not our own. The answers must come from within yourselves without any outside help whatsoever."

"Aw, phooey. Not even a hint?" Donald complained, looking at the enormous piles in front of him.

"I'm afraid not," the Librarian said, smiling. "Now, if you need anything else, please just come right up to the front desk and we will do all we can to help you find anything else you might need."

"Thank you very much," Kairi said to her. "I'm sure this will keep us plenty busy for a while at least."

"You're welcome. Good luck," she told them before walking out the door and closing it slowly behind her.

Sora walked around the table once, surveying everything upon it. "Well…where do we start?" he asked no one in particular.

"Whelp, just grab something and start reading," King Mickey told him as he plopped into a chair and began to thoroughly read the book he had picked up before. The others nodded and grabbed books and parchments, settling in to the comfortable chairs for a _long_ afternoon of reading.

Riku had immediately sat down opposite him across the table with an even larger book. His eyes darted back and forth across the page as he quickly read through it. The title of the book read _The Keyblade: An Anthology of Light's Greatest Weapon and the Darkness' Worst Fear._ Every so often, he would turn yet another page, scanning for important information. As they had entered the room, an extreme hunger for knowledge had begun to consume him. Riku had tried to reason with himself as it was. _If Geni is going to rule over this Realm someday, it might help me to understand her and this whole place better if I dug up some of their own history. I mean, for one thing, why does this Realm have so much information on the Keyblade, when every other world has barely heard about it except for those who communicate with other worlds frequently?_ That question itself had been bothering Riku ever since King Mickey had brought it up back on the islands.

"Hey, save some for us," Sora said with a laugh when he happened to look up.

Riku looked up to see his best friend smiling at him. Riku looked down, seeing Geni's face upon Sora's. "…Sora?" he asked quietly.

Immediately, the room became silent. Sora looked up at Riku in amazement, hearing him talk for probably the first time in hours, since early that morning. Sora grinned at him. "What's up Riku?"

Riku was silent for a moment, before he closed his book and looked up at him. His eyes had left the blank look that had been plaguing them, and once more was filled with his normal expressiveness. They showed remorse, regret, sadness; yet an odd glint of hope shone through. "I…I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier. Today…and last night," he finished softly. "I was rude and hasty, jumping to conclusions before I had even heard the entire story. I felt…betrayed by Geni; by her keeping those secrets from me about Keldar, and about getting married. My heart and mind were clouded by feelings of betrayal and jealousy, and I took them out not only on her but on all of you as well. Listening to the Queen just now, and to Geni, made me finally realize that her actions were more to protect us than to anger us. She was trying to tell me this for a while now, and I brushed her aside. And then in my own anger I said things I now regret, to all of you. I should have apologized to all of you much sooner than this. And for that, and for everything else, I'm sorry." Riku looked down, staring at the worn binding on the book he held.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of slender arms envelope him. He looked up, surprised and shocked, to see Kairi hugging him intensely. "Kairi?" he said, confused.

Kairi squeezed him once more, before leaning back to look at him straight in the face. "You are so dense sometimes, for someone so smart," she said with a laugh.

"What are you talking about?"

"Riku, your heart knew the truth all along. It was just your head that needed to catch up," she said as she poked him in the forehead. "Geni knows this too. That is why she tried so hard to explain everything to you right away, but your emotions got in the way. I don't think – I _know_ she doesn't hate you or is angry at you, but she _is_ probably sad and feeling a little betrayed by you herself. So don't apologize to us – go and apologize to her," she finished pointedly.

"How can I?" Riku muttered, looking away.

"The same way I should." Riku looked up to see King Mickey staring at him, book tossed aside. "Kairi's right, Riku. You and I both jumped to conclusions, and we don't normally do that. I think we both owe her a big apology when we see her this evening, don't you think?" he said with a smile.

Riku nodded, and slowly smiled back in return. "She does need our support, doesn't she?" he said to no one in particular.

"A-hyuk, she does alright," Goofy chimed in, glad that the conversation wasn't so serious anymore. He really hated to see his friends in gloomy moods.

"Well, getting married to that stuck-up isn't going to be a party," Donald chimed in.

"We just won't give our consent then," Sora declared, standing up with his chin sticking out.

"I don't think it will be that easy," Kairi said. She had released Riku from her hug, and was standing up next to him with her hand on the back of his chair. "I mean, she said Queen Minnie's already given her consent. She must have had a good reason to do it."

"I hate to say it, but this is something we'll have to discuss with Geni later. Right now we do have some research to do; there is still that threat of the Keyblade legend coming to pass."

"That's right!" Sora suddenly shouted, making everyone look at him. "King Mickey, you said this is the realm where all of the Keybladers' have been coming from right?" King Mickey nodded at him. "Well, where are they? I mean, I haven't seen one since we arrived, except for Riku's."

"Gawrsh! You're right Sora," Goofy said as he scratched his head. "Where are all of them, I wonder?"

"The Guard?" Kairi suggested. "Maybe they are the ones that can use the Keyblade. Or the people in that Defense Assembly that was mentioned."

"Would Geni know?" Riku wondered out loud. "I mean, think about it. She has been here for years. Especially with the influx of Heartless and Nobodies within the last two years outside of the Realm, there had to have been some here as well."

"Unless their Keyhole is already or has been sealed," Sora pointed out. "If there are Keybearers here, they should have been able to do that easily."

"Even if there are Keybearers here Sora, why would they be hiding themselves from us? I mean, the four of us are Keybearers as well. We're all on the same side, aren't we?" Riku questioned him.

"Supposedly." Sora was quiet for a moment, digesting the information.

"Hey, guys?" Sora looked up to see Kairi with a confused and worried expression on her face. "If this realm is full of Keybearers, does that mean Geni is one too?"

"No," King Mickey immediately said. "Geni is originally from outside of the Realm, hence we would have known already if she was a Keybearer or not. Every time a Keyblade comes into existence, so does a Keybearer. And whenever that happens, there is a surge in the magical power within the universe, and every Keybearer can feel that. Now, we couldn't feel any of the Keybearers here because of the dimensional difference. So there could be a few, or dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands and we would never have known."

"Wow," Sora said.

"That's an understatement," Riku muttered. He turned his eye to the research piled on the table for them. "If that is the case, can we trust this?" he said, gesturing to the many books in front of him.

"We'll have to, unless we find a better source," King Mickey replied sullenly. Suddenly, there was a quiet knock at the door. "Come in," King Mickey called.

The door hissed open again softly, and in stepped in the Librarian from before. "How is it going?" she asked them.

"Nothing of interest yet," King Mickey quickly responded, eying the people around the table.

"Oh, that is too bad," she said, frowning. "I just wanted to remind you, though, that your escort will be back in about one hour to collect you and bring you to the palace to meet with Dowager Queen Hisako. Oh! And she said you'll be having a private dinner with her as well."

"Already?" he told her, surprised.

"Well of course! You've been here for several hours already as it is! The sun is beginning to set outside, and it has clouded up. I've already seen some clouds with lightening to the west of us, so we should have a wonderful thunderstorm upon us by later tonight."

"Wait...several hours? That can't be right - we've only been doing research for a half an hour, max," Sora pointed out.

The Librarian smiled at him. "Young man, do you have a watch on you, or any way you can tell time in here? There are no windows, and no candles to burn down. In other words, you cannot tell the passage of time except from the demands of your own body by hungry, thirst, or sleep."

"I guess so," Sora replied, scratching his head. "Anyways, thank you for telling us."

"No problem at all," she told them. "Good luck with the research," she added just before she closed the door quietly behind her.

_That's strange_, Riku thought to himself. During his time within the darkness, while wearing his blindfold, Riku had adjusted his body to feel the shifts around him during the day; when the sun rose, when the sun set, how long a minute, or an hour, or a day was. He thought about it momentarily, looking to his inner biological clock. _Hmm...no more than an hour could have passed – max. Is there some kind of time spell around this room?_

"Riku? _Riku?_ Hello, earth to Riku!"

Riku looked up to see everyone staring at him. "What?" he asked nonchalantly.

"You had a faraway look on your face. What were you thinking about?" he questioned him.

"Oh, nothing much. We should probably get as much work done as we can before we have to leave," he said, picking his book back up.

Sora nodded. "You're right." Everyone sat back down and began to browse through the reading materials in front of them in silence, with the occasional crinkling of a page as it was turned. As it was, no less than one hour later the Librarian returned with their guide in tow.

"We're back!" she said, smiling. "Anything interesting that you've found?" she asked them, straightening the piles on the table in the meantime.

"I believe so," King Mickey said slowly. "However, mostly everything I have found we have in the library back at the castle. Hopefully tomorrow will be more fruitful."

"I'm sure it will be. Oh – don't worry, I can straighten things up in here," she quickly told Kairi when she saw her beginning to help her. "Besides, that's my job!"

"Okay, if you're sure," she replied, stopping to walk over by the door.

"Are all of you prepared to go?" their guide asked them, looking slightly impatient.

"Where exactly are we going?" Goofy asked her, scratching his head.

"To the private quarters in the palace where the Queen resides. She has asked that you dine with her at dinner while you discuss the marriage between Crown Prince Keldar and Crown Princess Genevieve. However, if we do not leave soon, we will be late; the Queen does not appreciate tardiness," she added.

"Well, then let's get going! I'm starving anyway," Sora told her.

"Then we will proceed," she told him, the side of her mouth crinkling in a small smile. She held the door open as the six of them walked out, and then proceeded to lead them towards the main doors of the library. Stepping outside, Sora was shocked to see the sky drenched in a plethora or reds, oranges, and pinks. The sun was a giant ball of light, just about to begin its final descent down over the horizon. All around them, students were beginning to head to their respective homes for the day. One by one, the lamp posts with large bubbles on top were being lit. A man with a tall pole and a glowing orb on one end touched it gently to each large orb, and it burst into a softly glowing brilliance.

"This way," called their guide as she led them down a path opposite the way they had come earlier that day. A few people journeyed along with them, but the majority of the people were heading in their opposite direction. Directly ahead of them loomed the ornate building that Sora assumed must be the palace. It reminded him of the library, with the rectangular bottom and the dome on top, but there were so many layers and windows, turrets and towers, added on to this building as well. Also, from the windows many points of light could be seen, making the palace itself an artificial night sky.

"In which part of the palace does the Queen live?" Kairi asked her as she admired the beautiful stonework from afar.

"In the west wing, nearest to us. That is where all of the personal quarters are. The eastern wing is full of rooms for the work of the Imperial Council as well as the Audience Chamber. The north wing is for the day to day business of running the land, and the southern wing is for the general populace to use for petitions and such and their own business with the government. We'll be going this way," she said as she switched directions and took a path to their left. "We are almost there – just a few more buildings to pass and then we'll be at the West Gate." After finishing her short monologue, their guide grew quiet and led them along silently.

"What do you think it will be like?" Sora asked Riku after a short while.

"What will what be like?"

"Well, you know, inside the palace. I've only been in one place that was kind of like a palace, and that was the castle. I guess this will be a little different, to say the least."

"Well, I'm guessing if anything it will be like all of the other buildings we've been in. Light brown stone everywhere, with probably some nice furniture," he said with a shrug. "None of us know either Sora, so it will be a surprise for all of us."

"I wonder if they'll have some food like they gave us yesterday, a-hyuk," Goofy said. He and Donald both began to daydream and drool slightly as they thought of the rich foods from before the battle and at Geni's apartment complex. King Mickey just sighed, shaking his head at them.

Just then they were stopped by Fida. "Please have your pass cards ready to show the Guards," she told them as they entered an outdoor hallway of solid stone. It seamlessly flowed up from the ground and over their heads, with gaps in it like a checkerboard to allow light through. At the entrance to this place, there had been two Guards, but now there were Guards every ten feet or so. Lamps hung above their heads, their silver armor hiding their faces in flickering shadows as they stood as still as statues. At the door itself there were three Guards; two on either side, and one in the middle of it.

"Pass cards," a man said gruffly as he held his hand out. Fida handed the Guard hers first, which he scanned with a glowing white stone in his hand. It blinked green once before he handed it back to her. "Next," he huffed. He processed each of theirs until only Sora and Kairi were left. As Sora approached him, the Guard looked at him through his helmet. Sora couldn't see his face, but he felt as if he was being stared at.

"Guards!" he suddenly shouted. Immediately Sora was encased in a group of a dozen silver-clad warriors, all with their spears or swords pointed directly at him. "Alright! Who are you?" he demanded, pointing at him.

"What's going on? Stop this right now!" Fida demanded as she tried to push through them. The rest of the Guards were holding the others back; Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were pushed back against the wall while Kairi was a little more gently held by the arm. They also shouted out indignities to the Guards, trying to free themselves to help Sora, yet at the same time not wanting to hurt the Guards.

"He might be an assassin, trying to pass himself off as Crown Princess Genevieve," he said to her angrily. "Don't get in the way."

"What? Hey, I'm not –! I'm Geni's twin brother!" Sora shouted at them. A sword was pointed directly at his throat, and he immediately quieted.

The man laughed. "Oh, now isn't that priceless. I would have heard –"

"Unhand him immediately!" a female voiced barked out coldly. All of the Guards immediately backed away from their charges and knelt down on one knee. Spears stood straight and tall in their owner's hands, and swords were point down on the ground as their pommels were gripped tightly.

Geni stood stiffly, illuminated by the bright light inside of the doorway. She still had on her uniform from the Academia, but her hands had turned into fists at her hips and her stare could make anyone's blood run cold. Slowly, she stepped down towards the rough Guard who had ordered the guards to surround Sora. Her footsteps echoed off of the floor in the silent hall of stone as she drew closer and closer. "Now, what is going on here?" she said in an eerily calm and collected voice as she reached him. "Captain, rise."

The Guard rose and looked down at her, seeing her outraged expression. "Your highness," he began. "I didn't know..."

"I believe the entire Guard was informed yesterday when this entourage arrived, in a special briefing, were they not?" she asked him and she stood staring up at him. It could have been almost comical, seeing as she was a good two feet shorter than him, had she not been the one with all of the power. "Also, I believe your Guards stationed here at the West Gate were told specifically they would be coming through here on their way to meet the Queen. Am I wrong in assuming this?"

"No, your highness," he said forlornly.

"Then what happened here?" she demanded once again.

"I was only thinking of your safety..." he began.

"Enough," Geni said, holding up a hand to stop him. "You are relieved of your post for the rest of the day."

The Guard's head shot up, almost in surprise. So did several of the other Guards; some of them tried to hide knowing smiles. "Yes, your highness. I will be here bright and early for my shift tomorrow morning then."

"You had better," she warned him, letting a small smile slip through, before she once again took on the look of someone used to giving orders. "I _said_ you are relieved, Captain," she barked.

"Yes, your highness," he said, bowing once before he turned around and practically ran out down the long hallway of stone. Geni watched him go, before she turned her attention to the rest of the Guards.

"Well, what are the rest of you waiting for? Get back to your posts!" A mad scramble then ensued, and in less than five seconds each Guard was back to where they had been only minutes before. She sighed, shaking her head, before she turned to the three bewildered people and three disorientated anthropomorphic animals still standing in shock. "Well, are you coming in or not?" she asked them, pointing her question more towards Sora and Kairi since she was standing the closest to them, before she turned on her heel and headed back towards the door. As she approached, the two Guards opened it wide for her, bowing.

"Well, have fun all of you," Fida told them, almost a little too cheerfully. "I have to get back to my own post for the evening. I hope everything goes well," she added, just before she turned and began walking away, waving as she went.

"Excuse me, but her highness is waiting for you," a Guard, in a slightly nervous voice, said to them from somewhere next to Sora. He turned around, but did not see anyone moving or speaking.

"Yeah...let's go guys," he told them as he began walking towards the open door. As he entered into the brightly lit hallway, he saw Geni leaning on the wall not too far from him. As he walked up to her, she looked up and gave him a tiny smile. "So...wasn't that a little harsh?" he asked her. "I've never seen you act like a drill sergeant before."

She stood up and shrugged. "I had to punish him; otherwise he couldn't have gone home."

"Wait...what?" he asked. "I'm confused."

"Today is his fiftieth wedding anniversary with his wife, and he was planning to take her out to a really fancy place. I set up the dinner reservations for him," she added.

"So you two planned that?" Kairi asked her as she joined the two of them.

"No, but I knew he was angry when he found out he had guard duty tonight several weeks ago, so I knew he would be ornery and probably do something foolish that he normally wouldn't have. It just worked out all the better that it was something I could pull him off duty for. Now, let's get going before Her Majesty starts to send a search party out for you. This way," she said, gesturing in front of her. She was not overtly ignoring King Mickey and Riku, but was standing and walking next to Kairi and Sora and conversing with them a little more than the others. By this time, all six of them were inside and the doors closed tightly behind them.

The hallway they were in was not overly decorated, as Riku had suggested; the light brown stone walls were bare except for a painting or tapestry every now and then, and opposite those a plain wooden door or two interspersed along their trek. The walk was quiet with unasked questions, pushing down on them like the encroaching storm. They turned down one hallway after another, and even up and down a staircase or two, before they turned left once more and entered into an enormous hall with a large pair of double doors at the end of it, flanked by at least six Guards in even heavier silver armor than the ones outside.

"The Queen's Chambers," she said quietly as they walked up to the Guards. "These are the Elite Guard, the Queen's own personal protectors," she explained. As soon as she had said that, she stood up straight and tall. "I, Crown Princess Genevieve, would ask to enter Dowager Queen Hisako's personal chambers with my family and friends, her esteemed guests."

"Enter, princess and guests, and be welcome," a young male voice said as he opened one of the large doors for them.

"Thank you," she said to him as she walked in, the silent and still apprehensive group following behind her. As soon as all seven of them had entered and the door closed, a merry voice rang out.

"Geni! Everyone! Welcome to my home!" the Queen said as she walked up to meet them with open arms.


	23. The Queen Is Dead

_All lyrics belong to Vienna Teng._

Chapter 22

The Queen was wearing a more casual dress than she had before, which had been her gown of white with purple trim. This time, she was wearing the puffy pants Geni currently styled but in white, also wearing a one piece over robe that had long sleeves and a hem that reached her ankles. It was also white, distinguishing her from the rest of the population, having instead her traditional embroidery in purple along the sleeves and bottom of the robe, as well as wearing purple slippers similar to Geni's brown ones. Her silver hair was tied into a thickly braided knot at the back of her head, with a small crown replacing the ornate one she had worn earlier during lunch. She walked up to them with open arms.

"Welcome, all of you! I hope you are hungry; I've made sure there is plenty of food prepared. It will be just the eight of us for now, until we have finished eating and we meet with the heads of the Imperial Council as well as a few of my own personal advisors. Shall we?" she said with a smile.

"I'm starving!" Sora said excitedly. Riku quietly and discreetly rolled his eyes, while Kairi gently poked him in the back.

The Queen just laughed. "Well then, let us eat!" She turned around and led them all further into her personal chambers. The first room they had entered was empty, except for several openings leading off into different directions. She chose to walk down the hallway directly behind her, also the nearest to her. Considering how plain the walls were, it was difficult to tell exactly where they were going. As the group followed her, the hallway after a few seconds immediately opened up into an enormous dining room, which could comfortably seat twenty people or more. Tall-backed chairs lined a long mahogany table, which was laid out with what looked like very expensive china as well as platters and bowls mounded with delicious looking food. Steam rose from each and circled lazily upwards toward the ceiling.

The Queen walked towards the other end of the table, waiting behind the chair at the head of the table. Geni immediately followed suite and stood behind the chair next to her on her right. Realizing they should all follow their examples, everyone quickly went and stood behind a chair. Sora went to sit next to Geni, with Kairi next to him; Riku and King Mickey sat themselves on the opposite side of them with King Mickey on the Queen's immediate left. Goofy and Donald sat down next to Riku, leaving the table uneven. When all were in place, the Queen pulled out her own chair and sat down gently. Once she sat, Geni immediately did the same as well as the other six guests. Almost instantaneously, servers appeared out of thin air and began to fill cups with some water. Sora immediately began to pile his plate high with the sumptuous meal, while the others – sans Goofy and Donald, who took after Sora – took slightly smaller portions.

At first the table was silent; the only sound heard being the quiet chewing of food. However, as Sora is apt to be, he had to break up the uncomfortable silence with questions of all things. He swallowed the roll he was eating and cleared his throat. "Your majesty?" he asked, a little timidly.

The Queen finished chewing her own food and put down her silverware. "Yes Sora? Do you need anything?"

"I was wondering...what sort of permission do King Mickey and I have to agree to?" he said to her.

"I concur," King Mickey added. "I would like to know what kind of future I would be subjecting my foster daughter to."

"Of course," the Queen said. She gently placed her elbows on the table and folded her hands in front of her, sitting silently for a moment before she began. "You know most of this already, from early this afternoon. Genevieve, after receiving permission from the two of you, will go from studying music to studying government and politics, diplomacy, battle tactics, finances, the exportation and importation of goods, and understanding the trades and jobs employed by everyone in the Realm, to name a few. She and Keldar will be the equal head of the Imperial Council, and leaders of the Defense Assembly. The will have the highest authority in the land, and will direct the Realm into a state of peace and prosperity, as it has been for thousands of years. And, in time, when they have grown old as I have, they will choose another pair of successors to take their place."

"You were chosen in the same way Geni was?" Sora asked, surprised.

The Queen nodded. "All of us are." She smiled wistfully, pausing for a moment. "My husband, the late King, and I did not always get along at first either. In fact, I was the top swordswoman in the Defense Assembly, while he was studying to be a poet. This time, it seems, the roles have been reversed," she said with a slight chuckle. Geni chose at this time to place a rather large piece of dumpling in her mouth, chewing quietly as she looked down at her plate. "In time, my husband and I learned to love each other, and work together as a team – unfortunately, the latter happening before the former."

"May I ask a question?" Kairi asked of the Queen.

"Of course my dear. What is it that you would like to know?" the Queen replied.

"This may sound a little forward, but how did the King…pass away?" Kairi asked a little timidly.

The Queen shook her head. "No, it is alright that you asked me that. Many years ago, before Genevieve and Queen Minnie even arrived here, our Realm became overrun by creatures that we call the Nohlmul. They are born of the darkness, and live and multiply in the darkness. Normally, they are quite peaceful creatures; they live in caves and tunnel deep below the ground where they spend almost all of their lives. Every so often, however, they come to the surface during the new moon when it is darkest and wander the surface. However, around one hundred and seventy five years ago our time – so about twenty five years your time – the Nohlmul suddenly began to emerge from their underground homes and began attacking my people. We had no idea what had caused their anger and hostility towards us, but they began to attack and destroy everything in their path as they made their way towards the capital. The war against them lasted several years, leading to many losses on both sides. In the end, my husband sacrificed himself while battling and in the end defeating the leader of the Nohlmul, their queen. Once the Nohlmul had no leader, they scattered and quickly returned to their proper homes below the surface. You see, the Nohlmul can be compared to the ant; they exist in one extremely large colony where the queen is the head of the colony. Without the queen, there is no order and only chaos.

To end the war, both the queen of the Nohlmul died as well as my husband, besides names too numerous to count. To this day, not one Nohlmul has been seen on the surface." The Queen sighed. "My husband did not want to go to war with the Nohlmul, but the Imperial Council insisted. He wanted to find the reason that the Nohlmul had begun to attack innocent people; he knew there had to have been a good reason. If only it did not take his death to change the Council's mind," she said sadly.

"That's horrible," Kairi said softly. Everyone at the table had ceased eating, listening to the tragic story. "I'm so sorry," she added.

"Don't be child," the Queen said, waving her hand at her dismissively. "It is long in the past, and we cannot bring the dead back to life. To this day, we have had peace in the Realm, and I intend to keep it that way in memory of my husband. And I know my successors are willing to fight to keep that peace as well," she said, looking over at Geni.

Geni had been watching the Queen tell her story, not having an appetite for her dinner. When she turned to look at her, Geni's cheeks flushed almost imperceptibly, making her look down at her food. "Yes, your majesty," she answered her.

"That was a rhetorical statement, my dear," she said with a laugh. Geni's cheeks darkened slightly. "Now, on to a lighter subject. Please, continue eating. The members of the Council will be here sooner than we all think, I assume." She picked up her fork and stabbed a tiny piece of potato and ate it wholeheartedly. The rest of the table followed suite, eating in silence for a few minutes.

Sora thought quietly over the things the Queen had told him. _So this Realm has its share of problems too_, he thought to himself. _But that was of creatures native to this realm, and not Heartless or Nobodies. Actually, I wonder if they have ever had that problem. But still…should I give my consent to this? I mean, it sounds like Geni would be able to help a lot of people, and to make sure that people were always safe. And she knows about the dangers of Heartless and Nobodies already, so even if they were to come here, she would know what to do. But even so…she's still marrying someone she barely knows! And she's _way_ too young; I mean, 15 still counts as being a teenager. She isn't an adult – yet. What should I do?_ he finally thought to himself as he finished his internal monologue.

"– and too young, for one thing," he heard King Mickey say as Sora came out of his reverie. He looked up to see King Mickey and the Queen in deep conversation.

"Of course! Tradition states that they wouldn't be married until both of them were at least 18 years old. Since Keldar is 17 and Genevieve is 15 that is still many years away. Your permission now only says that when they come of age, they will be able to marry right away and assume their rightful roles as King and Queen respectively," the Queen said.

"I see. But what about Geni's studies? I mean to say, I don't think she would want to give up music so easily," King Mickey countered.

"Oh, she wouldn't. Her new duties would only be added to her current ones. And since the wedding and coronation wouldn't be for many years yet, she has plenty of time to learn them in."

"What about us?"

King Mickey and the Queen looked up from their conversation to Sora, hearing his quiet words spoken. "What do you mean?" the Queen asked him in confusion.

"I mean…what about us? Geni is my sister, a part of my family, and part of her family in Radiant Garden, and Disney Castle, and on Destiny Islands. She also has so many friends she would be leaving behind as well, and not just on those worlds. What about the rest of them? Why isn't their permission needed for this?" he said to them in a calm voice, speaking the opinion of those at the table which were not needed, apparently.

The Queen smiled, seeing for the first time Geni's seriousness in her brother. "Their permission is not needed because it cannot be given," she explained simply. "Only those closest to Geni – namely her family – can say yea or nay to whether or not she is free to accept the position offered to her. Since King Mickey and Queen Minnie raised her like their daughter, they are her parents. And even though the two of you only met within the past two years, you are still siblings no matter what. And because of these bonds, you are the three people who will link Genevieve to the worlds outside of the Realm. You see, in order for Geni to rightfully take up her duties here, she must severe most of her ties with the outside worlds."

"What?!" Sora shouted. He stood up, almost knocking his chair over. His eyes blazed with anger. "Now wait a minute, no one ever said –"

"Sora." Sora stopped abruptly, hearing Riku's voice. He looked over at him, seeing him staring at him with his aquamarine eyes. "Let her finish," he said vocally, while his eyes told him _I'm angry too, but we still should hear what she has to say._ Sora slowly sat down, his fists clenching underneath the table.

"Thank you, Riku," the Queen said, turning from the silver haired boy back to the spiky brunette. "And what I said is correct, Sora, in a way. You see, every place that Genevieve has emotional ties too, where she has the most friends and family and memories, will keep her true power from being utilized to its true potential. Now, when you give your permission, you are stating that you agree to cut all necessary paths of power that Geni gained from outside of the Realm. In other words, the power and strength she normally receives from you when you are with her will be cut off, as it will be with King Mickey and as it has already been done with Queen Minnie. You can still talk to her and keep in touch with her, but you cannot visit each other or be in each other's presence…ever again," she finished softly, allowing this to sink in.

However, this moment was not allowed to be, for at that moment a Guard walked up from behind the Queen and bent down to whisper something into her ear. After a moment, she nodded and sent them away. She turned towards her guests, her eyes hard and her demeanor stiff. "I do apologize, but it seems my other guests have already arrived. I am sorry to do this to you, but the time is now: will you give your permission for Genevieve to stay here in the Realm and become the next queen?" She did not give them another choice, for what other choice could there really be? "I must go for a moment, but one of the Guards will show you to the Audience Chamber where you will give your answer, and depending on that where we will be holding the ceremony." The Queen stood up, nodding to them, before she walked out of a side door and left the table in utter silence.

"I thought we would have more time," Sora said quietly, the first to speak.

"I wonder if she is being pressured by more people than that Advisor Donovan whom we saw earlier today," Riku added.

"But it's not fair to make you two do that now!" Donald quacked angrily.

"But what can they do Donald, a-hyuk?" Goofy said. "When we go, they're going to want an answer."

"What _are_ we going to do?" Kairi said. She leaned forward to look down at the far end of the table. Geni sat there quietly, her hands folded in her lap, looking down. "What do you think Geni? I mean, this is your future we're talking about," she asked her.

Geni stared ate the barely touched food in front of her. She could feel six pairs of eyes trained on her, making her feel like a prized specimen on display at a zoo. _Does my opinion really matter?_ she thought to herself. _It's not like anyone has ever considered it before on this issue_. She thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "It's up to you," she said noncommittally while still looking down at her plate. "It isn't my decision to make, but yours."

"Of course this is your decision! You can say no," Sora said, turning to face her. "You don't have to accept their offer."

"Or do you?" Riku said, for the first time talking to Geni directly. At this, Geni slowly tilted her head to look at him from across the table. "You said the last ceremony made it so that you are now magically bonded to this Realm. You can't say yes or no because you no longer have that option. Am I right?" he said to her. They looked deep into each other's eyes for the first time in days. Riku's eyes were clear but troubled, while Geni's ocean blue eyes were clouded yet strangely transparent.

"That's correct," Geni said quietly, finding the courage to keep her voice steady.

"So there really is no saying no?" Sora asked him. "I mean, even if we were to not give our permission, Geni still isn't allowed to leave?"

"Gawrsh, well maybe it's just to make sure that you can't say no," Goofy pointed out. Everyone at the table turned to give him an incredulous look. "Uh, fellers, did I say something funny?" he asked them, scratching his head.

"No Goofy! That's it, isn't it?" King Mickey exclaimed turning to face Geni. "That whole other ceremony is to force us to give in to what they want, wasn't it? If you were still allowed to leave the Realm, we would have just taken you back with us and said no and that would have been the end of it. But since you can't leave, what choice do we have but to comply? They know they have us backed into a corner, and there isn't anything we can do about it…or is there?" he said quickly, looking at Geni. "There isn't any loophole that we don't know about, is there?" he asked her with pleading eyes.

Geni looked straight at King Mickey. "The only clause that I know of…" she said, and everyone held their breaths, "…is if the candidate were to lose their powers completely, or die."

"We can't use the latter option, obviously, but what about the first? Can't you not use your magic for a while and pretend it's gone?" Sora asked her, clinging to that one hope.

Geni shook her head. "Anyone who can use magic in the Realm – no matter how young they are – is able to sense whether or not anyone has magical capabilities within them once it has surfaced."

"Then we're out of options, aren't we?" Kairi said in a soft voice. "No matter what try or do, you'll end up staying here for the rest of your life." This already known revelation pushed down even more heavily on everyone's hearts. Suddenly, a door was thrown open at the far end of the hall and several of the servers from before entered quickly. Two stood, holding the large doors open, while the third quickly walked up to the end of the table. The young woman bowed towards them, holding her right hand over her left fist.

"Your presences are requested in the Audience Chamber with her majesty, Dowager Queen Hisako, Crown Prince Keldar, and the heads of the Imperial Council. Immediately," she added as an afterthought.

"No use putting it off any longer then," King Mickey said under his breath. "Thank you, we're coming," he said in a louder voice to the server. She nodded, and turned around and walked back towards the doors. "Let's go," he said to everyone. Quickly with few scraping noises the seven of them got up, made sure they didn't have food on their faces, and went to follow the server. The man and woman holding the doors open bowed to them as they passed, and closed the door after they had all left. Once again the corridor was bare except for a few tastefully chosen pieces of artwork or tapestry, interspersed with even more doors and hallways.

As the serving woman led the procession, Geni followed just behind her. After her came Sora and King Mickey, and just after the bringing up the rear were Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy. The group walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Strangely enough, they did not pass anyone on their way from the West Wing to the East Wing of the palace where the Audience Chamber resided. At one point, when intersecting the very middle of the palace, they could smell something delicious wafting in from where the chatter of many people could be heard behind a set of large but closed doors.

"The rest of the staff," the server leading them said simply, before anyone could ask a question. "We are quite near the Audience Chamber, so please prepare yourselves." After that, she was silent until the reached their final destination.

Sora hurried his walk up slightly so he could walk next to Geni. "You okay?" he asked in an extremely hushed voice.

Geni looked at him, staring at him with her sad blue eyes. "You know I can't answer that until everything has finished tonight," she told him quietly.

"I know – you can't guide me or tell me anything; I have to figure out the answer for myself. You told me that even before all of this started. But that doesn't mean I can just stop caring about how you feel. You're my only sister, after all," he told her, smiling.

Geni looked away, but Sora could feel that his words had reached her by the soft reassurance she gave him through their bond, her mental blockade of him finally dissolving. He smiled to himself, returning his gaze to the hallway in front of him. Just in time, as well, for at that very moment they turned a corner and immediately in front of them there suddenly appeared another set of enormous wooden doors, flanked by more of the Elite Guards. Their server walked to the bottom of several steps, and held out a hand for them to wait. By herself she walked up to one of the Guards and whispered to them. A silver helmet nodded, before turning and pounding their spear on the floor three times.

A dull boom sounded, and the two doors slowly swung inward. "They are waiting for you inside," their server said as she bowed to them. "Please make haste."

"Thank you," Geni said to her as she passed her. Sora slowed slightly to walk next to King Mickey once more. The small mouse gave him a raised eyebrow, but Sora just smiled at him. Once they stepped through the threshold, Geni's demeanor changed rapidly. Her back became as stiff as a rod, her chin held high, and her eyes became hard as she glued them to the throne in front of her. Leading the procession into a cavernous room, the walls curved towards a domed ceiling, most likely the one they had seen from outside. Blocks of light brown stone that polished like shimmering jewels made up the walls. The tiled floor created a path that led directly from the doors to the throne where the Queen sat once more in her regal white robes, her formal crown atop her head. Next to her small dais on her left in a small chair sat Keldar, and to her right sat an empty chair. And to the right of the empty chair stood five people. There was the man and the woman from their first audience with the Queen, with the red and blue sashes, as well as Advisor Donovan leaning heavily on his cane. Yet one more man and one woman, both bearing only red symbols upon their panels on all sides, stood next to them. Geni walked up the stone pathway and bowed low before the Queen, before she stood and waited patiently for her to speak. Her family and then her friends followed her example, also waiting patiently to hear if there was any chance left to change Geni's future for the better. Behind the four of them stood two Guards, mostly as ornamentation. Once Geni, Sora, and King Mickey had drawn close enough to the thrown, the two Guards immediately came forward and barred the way to the other four with their spears.

"Hey, what gives?" Riku hissed angrily. "We're friends too!"

"Only family members are allowed to approach the dais for the ceremony," the one Guard replied, turning his head to look at him. "You can visit after it is finished." The four looked discontented about being excluded, but remained quiet nonetheless.

"Welcome, all of you," the Queen began, speaking calmly but sternly. "You know why you have been summoned here, correct?"

"Yes, your majesty," Geni replied quietly.

"And you, King Mickey and Sora Akeno, you know why you have been summoned here as well?"

"We do, your majesty," the two of them replied in unison.

"Good. Then there is not much to say on the matter, except for the question itself. We are here tonight to listen to your answers, King Mickey and Sora, to this question: will you allow your foster daughter, King Mickey, and will you allow your sister, Sora, to take up the position offered to her by the Imperial Council and myself? To give her the permission to leave her home worlds, to give her the permission to marry Crown Prince Keldar, and to give her the permission to become the next Queen of this Realm?" She paused, taking a deep breath.

Geni stood motionless, as if looking down the gun barrel of her own execution squad. Her breath caught in her throat, because she knew that King Mickey and Sora couldn't refuse to give her the permission the Imperial Council needed. She knew, as the Queen knew, that they had cornered her with no way out. At that moment, she heard the telltale _plip-plopping_ of rain on the glass dome high above them. The storm had finally reached the center of the capital, drenching everything in its path. _It seems the sky is reacting to the emotions of everyone gathered here, save a few_¸ she thought to herself.

_Plip…plop. Plip-plip-plip plop. Plippety-ploppity-plippity-plop…BOOM!_

"I-I have, your majesty." Sora was the first to speak, wincing slightly from the thunderous boom of the lightning. "I have only known that I have had a sister for almost two years. And even so, there is so much that we still don't know about each other. And learning within the past two days that she has led a secret life for the past twelve years makes this all the harder. And I know that there is no way we could ever be truly separated, even if Geni could never leave here again. But even if I were to say yes, my heart wants to shout no." He looked over at the men and women of the council. "But I've seen how everyone here respects her, and how much she cares for the people here as well. So…my answer is…yes," he finished, forcing the words from his mouth. But even as he said them, he felt his heart grow heavy.

"I see," the Queen said, nodding. "And what about yourself, King Mickey?"

"…I believe Sora has put the issue forth quite well. And…I agree with him, even if it means giving up my only daughter," he said, his words laced with sadness.

"So both of you willingly give your consent for Genevieve to remain here, marry, and rule?"

"I do."

"…I do."

"Then it is finally settled. According to the wishes of Advisor Donovan, we will perform the ceremony immediately. Bring the Sphere of Sealing," she commanded to the woman wearing the blue sash. The woman nodded, and turned around. Hidden by the five of them was a pedestal with a glowing orb the size of a bowling ball seated upon a plush cushion. It was pulsing, its white color growing brighter then dimmer every few seconds. The woman picked up the orb ever so carefully, proceeding to walk in front of the Queen and face the seven of them.

"Crown Princess Genevieve, Sora Akeno, and King Mickey – please step forward," she asked gently. The three of them came forward reluctantly, two of them feeling like traitors. "Place your right hand upon the sphere, and try not to move."

As the three of them placed their right hands on the sphere, a bright light exploded from the ball. Sora flinched, trying to pull his hand away, but found it to be glued tightly to the ball. He was about to say something to Geni, but when he looked over at her she was calm, her eyes closed. He pursed his lips, and tried to imitate her calm state. Within moments, Geni could feel the effects of the Sphere of Sealing beginning to take place; she felt something tugging inside of her body. Soft purple light began to drain down her arm and across her hand into the sphere, which then divided itself between Sora and King Mickey, flowing through their hands and up their arms. A peculiar warmth faded away in Geni's heart, while it grew stronger in Sora's and the King's. The entire process lasted less than two minutes, but to the three of them it felt like forever. When the sphere finally began to dim, Sora felt the power of the ball release his hand and he immediately pulled away.

When Sora pulled his hand away, King Mickey did as well. Geni quickly followed, but once her connection to the sphere was gone, the full extent of the power that had been drained from her became apparent. She felt her knees go weak, her body ready to drop to the floor, except for the strong arms that grabbed her. "Steady yourself dear," the woman in the blue sash replied, pulling her up but continuing to hold onto her. The Sphere of Sealing was already in the hands of the man with the red sash by this time, leaving her free to assist Geni. "Are you alright?" she asked her, concerned.

"I'll be fine in just a moment," she told her with a weak smile, mentally shouting at her legs to quit shaking. The woman held onto both of her arms, seeing that Sora and King Mickey were beginning to feel the after effects of the sphere. Both of them had a blank look on their face as they adjusted to the power that had been transferred to them.

"All ceremonies are now complete," the Queen announced. Several audible sighs came from the direction of the members of the Imperial Council. "I thank you, Sora Akeno and King Mickey, for all that you have done and for all that you have given up. I promise that I will make sure that some kind of arrangement is made so you can visit your foster daughter and sister as often as you would like."

"Thank you, your majesty," King Mickey said as he blinked once more.

Sora's head began to lose the fuzzy feeling he had gained, and his senses were once more returning to him. The first thing he noticed was that Geni looked rather pale, and immediately went over to see her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him with tired eyes. "You okay?" he asked her quietly.

"Just a little drained," she told him. Her legs had finally stopped shaking, and she let go of the woman's arms. She wobbled for a moment before righting herself. "See? Good as new."

"Just take it easy for the rest of the night," the woman advised her. "I suggest going –"

Just then, a young girl came bursting through the large doors behind them, running towards the group. The Guards barred her way, forcing her to stop. "This is a private ceremony! What is the meaning of this, bursting in here in such a way?" one of the guards demanded, the same one who had spoken to Riku.

"But I have a message for her highness!" the girl demanded. "I need to see her _now_!" she said, stamping her foot for emphasis and making the blonde curls atop her head bounce wildly. Physically, she couldn't have been any older than ten or eleven years old. She wore the everyday clothing everyone else in the Realm was adorned with, but her panels were decorated in blue, green, and red – denoting that she was still in the primary levels of her education.

"Stand aside please," Geni said, quickly walking past her friends and family, and making the Guards move hurriedly out of the way. "What is the message?" she asked the young girl.

"Here," she said, handing her a small piece of folded paper. Geni took it, opened it, and quickly read through it. Smiling, she carefully folded the paper and put it in a small bag on her waist. "Tell them I will be there immediately," she told the girl.

"I will!" the girl said excitedly, turning around and racing back through the doors.

Geni turned around, to find everyone in the room watching her silently, waiting for an answer. "I'm needed at the Nurturing, your majesty," she said simply and directly to the Queen.

"Ah, well go on then. We can't let our personal lives interfere with our work, now can we?" she said with a quick wink. "I will see you in the morning."

"Yes, your majesty," Geni said. She turned to her family and friends. "I'll meet you back at home," she said in a quiet voice, so only they could hear her. All six of them had grouped together when the little girl had rushed in, fearing there was some kind of emergency.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked her. "Can we help with anything?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "There are just more children than the Caretakers can handle tonight at the Nurturing, and they need my help. I had told them I wouldn't be available tonight because of this, but it appears that they're short handed, so I have to go to work. I'll be back before eleven," she promised them.

"Before you go," King Mickey said, looking up at her.

"Yes?"

"Are you angry with us?" he said bluntly but quietly.

Geni shook her head. "Of course not King Mickey. You did what you had to do. And now, so do I. If you'll excuse me?" she said in a level voice. She walked hastily out through the large doors, the Guards opening and closing them for her as she passed.

"I'm afraid her work is never done," a tired voice replied behind them. The six people turned around to find the Dowager Queen standing behind them. All of the other Council members including Keldar had already left save for Advisor Donovan who was waiting slightly impatiently by the dais. "If you want to, you can at least see where she is working tonight, but I'm afraid the Caretakers won't allow you in with the children since it is so late. Would you like to?"

"Of course," Kairi immediately said, speaking for the whole group. "Since we won't be able to see much of her from now on…"

"Exactly what I was thinking. I will have on of the Guards escort you to the transporting room, which is what Genevieve probably used. You'll be able to arrive there just behind her. And along with Genevieve, I trust I will see you all tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, your majesty, and thank you," Sora added. "Let's hurry!" he told the others. King Mickey, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy trailed closely behind Sora, but as Riku was about to follow them, he felt someone grab his arm.

"Riku?" He turned around to find the Queen looking at him, her body blocking his view of the dais and of Advisor Donovan. "She'll need all the _support_ she can from now on," she said to him in a loud voice as her hand glided down his arm to grasp his hand open and pull it palm up. "I know that you two are very close, so I'm looking towards not just her family but her _friends_ as well to help her in the near future," she continued as she discreetly placed a flat, round stone in his hand and closed his fingers over it. "Now you had better hurry, or they might leave you behind," she added, pushing him away with a gentle shove.

"Yes, your majesty," he said, confused to say the least as he promptly walked towards the large doors and out of them, keeping the stone inside of his closed hand. Once the Guard pointed him in the right direction that his friends had gone, and he heard the door close behind him, Riku dared to open his hand to look at the stone. As far as he could tell, it was a plain white stone, flat and smooth all over. No inscriptions, runes, or anything marred its perfect surface. He turned it over, looking at it from all angles, but he couldn't find anything incriminating. Remembering what a wise person the Queen was supposed to be, he assumed she had had a reason for doing what she did. He placed the stone in his pocket, deciding to forget about it until later.

Riku jogged down the hallway. Right, then left, then another left, pass through an arch, and one more right until he reached a plain room with several glowing circles upon the floor. "Riku, you made it!" Sora said to him jokingly as he saw him enter the room. "We were wondering where you had wandered off to."

"Just taking the scenic route," he jibbed back.

"Ahem," a voice said. Riku looked over to see a young man wearing a green over robe looking slightly impatient as he rested his hand on a small podium that was filled with what looked like a map and many different colored crystals. "Are all of you prepared?" he asked them.

"For what, exactly?" Goofy asked him, looking around.

"This is the transporting room. It is one of the fastest ways to travel around the city, and transfer is almost instantaneous. I've been told to send you to the Nurturing, directly after her highness. Now, since the transfer can only be done one person at a time, who would like to volunteer to go first?"

"I would!" Sora cried, raising his hand as if he was still in school.

"Then please come forward and step on this pad here," he said, pointing to a pulsing light green circle to his right. Sora walked up confidently, stepping up onto the slightly raised pad of light. "There will be a slight tingling, but nothing more. You can keep your eyes open if you wish to, but I would advise you to close them because of the intense power that will be utilized to send you there. Namely, it will be very bright. Understood?" he said to Sora as he stepped behind the crystal filled podium.

"Sure," Sora said, shrugging. "See you guys soon!" he said to his friends with a grin.

"Don't get lost," Riku warned good-naturedly.

"I won't," Sora retorted.

During this conversation the man had replaced several of the green crystals, directing the power from the palace to the Nurturing. As he was about to replace the last crystal, he said, "Beginning transfer from Royal Palace to Nurturing, Transfer Room 3 to Transfer Room 1, Pad 2." As he finished, he slide the crystal into the slot, and the pad beneath Sora suddenly flared to life. A shaft of green light engulfed him, blinding him to his friends. He squinted, trying to see, but within seconds when the light faded he was amazed to see that he was in the exact same room, but instead an older woman was waiting for him. She was wearing a green poncho, like some of the younger people at the Healers Pavilion had worn, except instead of light green it was a very dark hunter green.

"Welcome to the Nurturing, Sora Akeno," she said, bowing to him. "Please step off of the transfer pad, so your friends can join you."

Sora slowly stepped off and moved forward, looking around him. "Well, that was…unimpressive."

"You were expecting something else?" the woman said to him, her left eyebrow raised in question.

"Well, maybe to dissolve then reappear here, or be sucked into a giant tube or plumbing network, or something like that," he said, gesturing with his hands to show her.

"I believe you have watched too much of that box-shaped object called television," she said to him with a laugh as the pad flared to life once more. In moments, once the light died down, Kairi stepped off of the pad, slightly dazed as Sora had been.

"That was…different," she said to him as her eyes slowly dilated.

"My thoughts exactly," Sora said as he took her hand and pulled her gently away from the pad. Kairi blinked several times more as she took in the room around her. Almost immediately the pad began to brighten once more. In a blinding second, Donald stepped off of the pad. This same experience occurred several more times before all six of them had finally been transported to the Nurturing, whatever that seemed to be.

"Good! All of you are here now!" the woman said gaily, clapping her hands in delight. "There are just a few rules to go over while we are in the Nurturing. Since it is late, almost all of the children will be asleep or going to sleep, so please keep your voices down wherever we do go. Since your sister is helping out with the toddlers, or at least those who have not had any schooling yet, it is a short walk to where their rooms are. Of course, you are not allowed into the common room itself, but you can observe behind a two-way mirror we use for observations. Any questions?" she asked afterwards.

"You mean Geni doesn't know we're here?" Sora asked her.

"No, because that would interfere with her concentration. Since she is one of the best Caretakers for the smaller children, we usually keep them all together until they begin to fall asleep. You'll see her process for yourselves in a moment." The woman turned around and changed around several crystals before turning back to them. "Let us proceed then – and please make sure to remain very quiet," she reminded them as she put a finger to her lips.

The woman turned around and headed towards a door at the end of the room. As she opened it and stepped out, she held it open for the six of them. One by one, each of them stepped out into the hallway and into a different world. Instead of the plain stone simply adorned in all of the buildings they had been in so far, the walls were completely covered with trees as far as they could see in both directions. Now, these trees were not real, but each one was carefully crafted to look, feel, and smell as real as any one of them were outside of the building. Between the trees were plants and bushes, filling up the hallways with a feeling of coziness and restfulness. The lights were dimmed in the hallways, complementing the feeling of nighttime as it was outside. However, instead of the usual nighttime sounds – crickets chirping, frogs croaking, owls hooting – there was silence within the hallways.

The woman motioned for the group to follow her, leading them down the hall to their right. Within seconds huge, elongated windows appeared, and they could see many children within large communal sleeping rooms. The first was filled with young children sleeping in cribs with several men and women walking around tending to their needs; like giving them a bottle, rocking them to sleep, or checking for wet diapers. These were the children old enough to not be considered babies anymore. The second room was filled with children who were probably under three years old, all sleeping in beds that had small railings on the side so they wouldn't fall out in their sleep. Most of the children inside were asleep, save for three who were gathered around a man reading a story to them in a far corner so the light wouldn't disturb the other occupants. Finally, when they came to the third room, the woman stopped in front of the window, and pointed inside. Everyone quickly walked up to the window and peered inside.

It was filled with many small beds, but none of the occupants of the room were in them. They were gathered around a young woman in the back of the room, seated in a soft chair with an enormous picture window behind her. Outside, the group could see a huge thunderstorm was raging, with rain pounding against the window, and the wind whipping through a large tree that was next to the window. Every so often, a light would flash behind her and a dull boom could be heard as thunder. "These are the children who are between the ages of four and seven; those children who are old enough to begin learning but not yet in the primary grades. This is the group Genevieve works with when she is here. Now, if you'll please follow me, we will go into the observing room over here," she whispered. Quietly, she made a motion for them to follow her to a plain door, located next to the door to go into the sleeping room where the children were. She opened it quietly, waiting for all six of them to go in before she closed it with nary a squeak.

Inside of the room were plenty of chairs, a few desks, writing utensils and paper, and a small kitchenette. "This is where all of our new Caretakers begin observing the children, and learning how to take care of them, and to cater to them to make sure they grow up into respectable young adults in our community."

Sora had wandered to the very back of the observation area, watching his sister with interest. She had about twenty children dressed in their pajamas gathered around her on a large rug, and was reading to them from a large story book. As she read to them, he could see her making faces, and probably making strange sounds with her voice, causing the children to laugh at each page.

"Would you like to hear what she is reading?" Sora turned around to see the Caretaker behind him.

"Sure," he told her.

The woman nodded, then walked over to the kitchenette area and opened a cabinet door. Inside were several switches and buttons; flipping a large red switch, a crackle could be heard before Geni's voice floated in over the speakers inside of the observation area.

"…And so the prince defeated the mighty dragon by persuading him to use his fire to keep everyone in the kingdom warm during the coldest times of the year. The prince and the princess built a special room right next to their castle where the dragon could live, and where he could also heat not just the castle but all of the houses in the entire city as well! The princess, seeing how kind and brave the prince was, fell deeply in love with him. They were happily married, and the kingdom rejoiced with the peace and prosperity the couple gave them. And so everyone lived happily ever after…the end."

A sudden chorus of "aw's" and "just one more's" rang out in the room. "No, little ones, I'm afraid not. Now it's time to go to sleep, for soon it will be morning and your mama's and papa's will be here to greet your smiling faces," she said to them, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Giggles erupted from all of them. "Now, if all of you can get into bed and settled by the time I count to ten, maybe I'll play a special lullaby for all of you. Are you ready? Ten…nine…eight…" Immediately forty feet pounded across the carpeted floor and jumped into their respective beds. Many of the children grabbed stuffed animals, while some just snuggled into their sheets and comforters waiting for their prize. "Four…three…two…oh, are all of you done already? Someone would think that you _wanted_ a lullaby," she said teasingly. Some of the children spoke out in protest while Geni laughed. "Alright then. Lights off everyone!" she said loudly, clapping once. Immediately, the lights began to dim slowly until there was just enough left for the observers to see outlines of everything in the room. A shadow of Geni walked back to the chair and grabbed something long and thin from next to it. "Your journey to the shores of dreamland has just begun," she said softly, as she brought her flute up to her lips.

A simple melody began to flow from her, soft and wavy like the ocean back on the islands. It matched the flow of the rain beautifully, merging like melody and harmony should. The occasional flash of lightning and boom of thunder made it sound like enormous waves crashing upon the beach. As Geni played, she slowly walked to each bed, noting the children who were still awake, those who were slowly falling asleep, and those already asleep. One by one, each child drifted off to sleep as the rain continued to pound on the window.

Each person in the observation room watched with differing opinions. "She's like a different person in there," Goofy admitted softly.

"She seems to know just what each child needs or wants," Kairi added as she watched Geni stand over one of the last children still awake, playing the soft melody just for them.

"And that is where she excels. We still don't know how she does it," the Caretaker admitted with a shrug. "The children are just attracted to her like a magnet. And she's much younger than most of the Caretakers that work here, save for a select few. Most times this observation unit is full of people watching, picking up hints and pointers from her without even knowing it."

"If I may ask, though," Riku interrupted, "what exactly is this Nurturing place for? Don't these children have parents?"

"Of course they do," she answered. "The Nurturing is like a daycare service for the working populace. We take care of the children like any babysitter outside of the Realm would do, except here it is free of charge. All the parent has to do is bring their child here and all of their needs are met, like food, socializing with their peers, sleeping, and learning for those old enough. Most of the children who are here at night have parents who are away because they are soldiers and guards for the Defense Assembly, and of course all workers who must work at night, like those who serve the city itself by cleaning up and preparing for tomorrow."

"Very convenient," King Mickey said appreciatively.

By now, Geni's flute playing had ceased, all children asleep and snoring softly in their beds. The rain, however, continued to pound against the glass of the window, the tree occasionally scraping against it as well like a shadowy monster. Geni finished making her rounds between all of the beds, and headed back towards her chair to put away her flute. Sitting on the chair, she carefully wiped down the metal and placed it carefully back into its case. Just as she softly snapped it closed, a blinding flash of light illuminated the entire room, and immediately after that a deafening crash of thunder made her jump about three feet off of her chair. For everyone in the observation area, the thunder made the speakers crackle and amplified the sound even more so, leaving most of their ears ringing.

However, Geni had heard someone cry out when the thunder had exploded. Jumping to her feet, she dashed quietly across the room to a little girl who was sitting straight up in her bed, whose eyes were wide with fear and tears, her small hands covering her ears as she quivered. "There now, everything's alright," Geni crooned gently, sitting down on the little girl's bed and cradling her in her arms. The little girl smothered her face into Geni's stomach, making her shirt wet with salty tears. Geni smiled, pulling the girl close and running her hand through her soft, straight hair. "Shh, don't worry; it's just the storm."

"I'm-I'm scared," the little girl hiccupped.

Geni was silent for a moment, rocking the little girl slowly. She sensed that several of the other children had woken up with the thunder, but none of them had had such a violent scare to it as the girl in her arms had. "Shall I tell you a secret?" she said to the girl.

The little girl looked up with big, shining eyes. "A secret?" she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

"Mm-hmm. But you have to promise that you can't tell anyone else," she said in mock seriousness.

"I promise! I promise!" she cried, nodding her head fiercely.

"Alright then, here it is." Geni looked around, noticing five other children awake, but pretending to look for eavesdroppers. She leaned down and looked straight into the little girl's eyes. "When I was little, I was absolutely terrified of storms; I was so scared once, I hid under my bed and slept there _all_ night!"

The little girl laughed, as well as several other children. "Really?" she said, giggling.

"Really _really_," Geni told her. "But do you know what? I'm not scared anymore. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because someone very special to me taught me this song, and told me to sing it every time there was a storm when I was alone, so I wouldn't be afraid anymore. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes!" the little girl said excitedly.

"Me too!" Geni turned around to see a little boy holding a stuffed bear in his arms, sitting up in his bed.

"I want to too!" This time it was another little girl in the bed next to the one Geni was sitting on.

"All of you?" Geni asked, laughing quietly. "Well then, come on. But just this one, though." Suddenly five small bodies rushed over in their padded feet and jumped on the small bed. The little girl whom Geni had been holding wriggled her way out from under her sheets and into Geni's lap. Once all six of them were comfortable, Geni checked to make sure no one else was awake. "This is a song all about storms; rain, lightning, thunder – all of those scary things." Quietly she took a deep breath.

"Watch carefully," the Caretaker said to the group. As if she had to say anything; all six of them had had their eyes glued to the window and their eyes glued to the speakers ever since they saw Geni dash across the room.

_Little child, be not afraid,_

_The rain pounds harsh against the glass_

_Like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger,_

_I am here tonight._

_Little child, be not afraid,_

_The thunder explodes and lightning flash,_

_Illuminate your tearstained face,_

_I am here tonight._

_And someday you'll know, that nature is so,_

_The same rain that draws you near me,_

_Falls on rivers and land, on forests and sand,_

_Makes the beautiful world that you see in the morning._

_Little child, be not afraid,_

_The storm clouds mask your beloved moon_

_And its candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams,_

_I am here tonight._

_Little child, be not afraid,_

_The wind makes creatures of our trees_

_And the branches to hands, they're not real understand,_

_And I am here tonight._

_And someday you'll know, that nature is so,_

_The same rain that draws you near me,_

_Falls on rivers and land, on forests and sand,_

_Makes the beautiful world that you see in the morning._

However, at this point in the song, Geni faltered slightly. Her voice became much softer as she sang the next part, as if reminiscing and remembering a time long past, a time which the words of the song iterated perfectly. Her eyes looked through the wall, to some unknown destination.

…_But you know, once even I was a little child…and I was afraid…_

After this part, the song grew strong once more, as if Geni had put the past behind her. Of course, all anyone could see was that she had slowly shaken her head after the end of that particular phrase.

…_But a gentle someone always came, to dry all my tears,_

_Trade sweet sleep for fears, and to give a kiss goodnight._

_Oh, now I am grown, and these years have shown,_

_That rains a part of how life goes._

_But it's dark and it's late, so I'll hold you and wait,_

_Till your frightened eyes do close._

Suddenly, a second and third voice joined, harmonizing the song into a trio. Geni looked up surprised to see two of the younger Caretakers had entered the room, smiling at her. As Geni sang, she looked down to see that every single child was asleep. Even the little girl in her arms could not hold her heavy eyelids up any longer.

_And I hope that you'll now, that nature is so,_

_The same rain that draws you near me,_

_Falls on rivers and land, on forests and sand,_

_Makes the beautiful world that you see in the morning._

_Everything's fine in the morning,_

_The rain will be gone in the morning,_

_But I'll still be here…in the morning._

As they were finishing the song, the Caretakers began to gently lift the little boys and the little girls and take them back to their own beds. Not one of them woke up or even stirred. Once the last child was off of the bed, Geni carefully stood up, holding onto the little girl with one hand, and pulling her blanket down with the other. As she set the little girl back in her bed and covered her up, Geni could see a smile on her lips and she breathed deeply. Standing, she saw the other two Caretakers waiting for her. Walking over to them, she smiled. "You guys didn't have to come and help," she whispered to them.

"When we heard you start singing from out in the hallway, we couldn't resist," the taller of the girls said. She then looked at Geni critically. "You haven't sung _that_ particular song for ages. What changed your mind?"

"I don't know," Geni admitted with a shrug. "It just felt…right tonight for some reason. Besides, it's still one of my favorites."

"Why? Just because Lirona wrote that song especially for you when you were little?" the other girl jested, poking Geni in the arm. "Just because she's never written any other lullabies, not even for her own children?"

Geni felt her face heating up in the darkness. "I'm sure that isn't the case –"

"Oh, just admit it. Lirona considers you like her granddaughter, and everyone always thought you were going to be her heir in the music branch of the Academia until you were chosen as heir to the throne instead," the taller girl said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Not now," Geni moaned quietly. "Out, all of us," she forcefully insisted, pushing the two girls towards the door. Soft laughter could be heard through the speakers, but it was a moment or two before anyone spoke.

"Beautiful," the Caretaker sighed. "I always love hearing your sister sing," she admitted to Sora as she turned.

"Geni didn't write that song?" he asked, confused.

"No. Madame Lirona, the head of the Music Branch of the Academia, wrote that song when she was very little. Even to this day, there are only four people who have had the privilege to learn the entire song."

"Why?" Goofy asked her.

"Because as you saw, it has the capability of putting anyone in the same vicinity as the singer of it to sleep."

"But we aren't asleep," Donald pointed out.

"No, because the sleeping rooms' are specially designed to keep all magic's worked within them from leaking outside of the room. Many lullabies comfort, relax, or put the children to sleep; we don't need our workers falling asleep on the job, now do we?" she said with a smile. "Come, let's go find Genevieve. She'll probably be heading to the Relaxation Room, where all of the Caretakers go when they are between shifts and such." She switched off the speakers, looking into the room once more. All twenty children were deeply asleep, blissfully unaware of the storm raging outside. "The second level Relaxation Room is just down this hallway," she explained to them as she walked towards the door. "Once you are there, you may speak in normal voices once again."

Holding the door open, the six of them filed out silently. All of them had seen yet another facet of Geni they hadn't seen before, except for maybe a few times in the distant past. Walking down the absolutely quiet forest corridor, they soon came to a room which had a sign in several unknown characters upon it. "In here," the Caretaker whispered. "Once you go in, I will have to make my own rounds, so I probably won't see you again. I hope you enjoyed your little visit with us here at the Nurturing," she told them with a small bow.

"Thank you very much," King Mickey told her. "All of us did, I'm sure. I've also began thinking of ideas in which to utilize your concepts here at my own home in the Disney Castle."

"I'm glad to have helped," the woman said with a smile. "Have a pleasant evening," she said as she walked away with a small wave.

"She was nice," Sora said quietly. "I wonder how long she's been a Caretaker."

"Probably a long time," Riku surmised. "…We should probably go in," he said after a moment of no one moving.

"Oh! You're right," Sora said sheepishly. He quickly walked to the door and turned the knob. As the door opened noisy chatter came from within.

"Hey, close that! We don't need to wake up everyone on the floor!" someone called out. A man who was sitting at a table, as well as the two other men and a woman sitting with him, were giving them odd looks. "Well, if you're coming in, then come in already!" the man called impatiently. The three humans and three anthropomorphic animals quickly walked in the door with Sora closing it rapidly behind them. "Thank you!" the man called, and the four quickly returned to their card game.

"Can I help you?" an older man asked as he came forward with a cup of something hot and steaming in his hand. "Are you looking for someone?"

Sora stepped forward. "Yeah, we're looking for –"

"You're him!" the old man said suddenly. "You look exactly like her, as I'm sure you've been told countless times before. And she's in the back with her friends sitting on the couches," he told them with a grin. "I'm sure this is a surprise visit, right? She doesn't get many visitors as it is, so I'm glad you all stopped by. Have fun!" he said as he walked away towards some of the other more elderly Caretakers.

"Um…who was that?" Sora asked no one in particular.

"Does it really matter?" Donald quacked. "He said Geni's in the back, so let's go." He marched off, leaving the rest of them behind. The Relaxation Room itself was devoid of the childish décor the rest of the building was coated in. The walls were once again made of the light brown stone, but were hung with more adult tapestries and works of art. A larger kitchenette at the very back of the room was filled with several people making snacks and talking animatedly. From there the room turned left, making it one large L. The five of them had seen Donald turn the corner, and figuring before he could get himself into any trouble, the trailed after him quickly.

As they turned the corner, many soft and cozy chairs, loveseats, and sofas met them. Towards the very back sat the two girls and Geni. Donald was just about to enter into their conversation unannounced, but the one girl had seen Donald already.

"And she said…hey Geni, isn't that your friend from the castle?" the shorter girl said as she interrupted herself, pointing behind her.

"What – who?" Geni said, turning around just in time to see her family and friends making their way towards them, with Donald less than ten feet away.

"Hey Geni!" Donald quacked. "We watched you work just now, and you were amazing!"

"You-you were _watching_ me?!" Geni said, standing up. Her cheeks were flushed a faint pink, but her expression was enough to tell that her emotions were a cross between surprise and anger.

"Yeah, the Queen suggested it," Sora said, walking up to her. "You don't mind, do you? I mean, it's a little late now for that, but…" Sora trailed off, seeing her expression.

Geni sighed loudly. "No, I don't. But next time, tap on the glass or something. Wasn't there a Caretaker with you? They're supposed to do that whenever someone enters the observation area."

"Yeah, there was an older lady with us. But she never did that. All we did was go in and watch. Besides, we only saw from the time you finished reading the story until the three of you left," he explained to her.

If anything, Geni's face flushed more. The two girls behind her began to look nervous as well. "You-you heard us talking?" the taller girl said to Sora.

"The Caretaker turned on the speaker for us while we were in there," Kairi said. Behind them, Riku and King Mickey exchanged a look. Goofy just looked confused.

"What…did you all hear?" Geni said slowly.

"Well," Sora said, counting off on his fingers, "the end of the story, your flute playing, the song, and the three of you talking about the lady we met earlier today before your lecture this morning. Madame Lirona wasn't it?" he asked her. "That's everything, I think," he finished, unknowingly digging himself a deeper hole.

Geni sighed. "Alright. I was hoping to introduce all of you properly to her tomorrow, but I guess I need to do a little explaining right now," she said forlornly. "You see, Madame Lirona –"

"Genevieve?" Geni looked over to see the man who had greeted the group waving an envelope. Behind him was a screen with the face of a Guard on it, their silver helmet still in place. "You have a message from the Palace," he called once more.

Geni sighed heavily. "One moment." She walked away, picking a path through the maze of comfortable furniture, to where the man was standing. The group of six and the duo on the sofa sat in an uncomfortable silence as they waited for Geni to return.

"What's up, Aldous?" she asked him.

"It's a message from her majesty. It's a Priority Red message, your eyes only," he said quietly handing it to her. "They just sent it less than a minute ago."

"What?!" Geni hissed, grabbing the envelope from him and tearing it open. She quickly unfolded the piece of paper, and scanned the contents. "_Locārthú_," she whispered silently. She crumpled the piece of paper in her fist. "I have to go. Please have someone cover the rest of my shift," she told him before running towards the door in a frantic frenzy. She flung open the door and let it crash shut behind her.

All mouths were silent, all eyes on the door. Suddenly, all hell broke loose as everyone scrambled over to the older man, demanding to know what was going on. "What's going on?" "Why did Genevieve run out?" "What was in the message?" "Is there some kind of emergency?" "What's going on Aldous?!"

"Calm down everyone!" Aldous shouted. Slowly the shouting and the demanding stopped, but Sora quickly pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

"What happened?" he asked in a worried voice. With everything that had happened in the last few days, he wasn't sure if his sister running out of the room like her feet were on fire was a good or bad thing.

"Genevieve received a private message from the Palace. All I know is that it was sealed, and only to be opened by her. But…it was also a Priority Red message." Gasps of shock abounded, and everyone starting speaking at once again.

"Is that bad?" Sora quickly asked.

"Well, yes…and no. It could be that something has come up in which Geni's assistance was needed, or it could be something worse. Either way, we won't know until she gets back."

"What did the Guard say who gave it to you?" a woman asked who had been standing near Aldous when he had received the message.

"He said it was urgent, but he didn't seem worried. Besides, it was one of the Elite Guards – it's not like there isn't anything that they can't handle." Many in the group nodded and the atmosphere relaxed greatly.

Still, Sora pushed the issue. "Can we go back to the Palace? I want to meet Geni when she's done to make sure everything is okay."

"Sure," Aldous said with a shrug. "Follow me back to the transporting room. But I'm still telling you everything is probably fine."

"We know, but we just want to make sure," Kairi said and she slid her hand into Sora's. Surprisingly, his hand was shaking. Kairi looked at him. "Sora?" she whispered. He looked at her, giving her one of his large smiles, but she could see in his eyes he was troubled. "Don't worry; I'm sure everything is fine," she said, smiling at him and squeezing his hand.

Riku was also troubled at the turn of events. He knew – or at least he thought he knew – Geni pretty well by now. And only something of the utmost importance could make her run from a room like that. Something was wrong…very wrong.

Aldous led them out of the Relaxation Room and down the forested hallway to the transporting room they had used earlier. All of the children were fast asleep, still blissfully unaware of the turmoil raging just outside of their cozy beds. Quickly opening the door to the transporting room, Aldous went to the control panel full of crystals. He stared at it, openmouthed. "You sister…used the emergency transfer to the Queen's personal chambers," he said softly. His head darted up to look at them. "You were right to worry, Sora – I think something bad has, or is, about to happen. We'll have to do a mass transfer to get all of you over there. Everyone, please step on a pad – this will only take a moment," he said, worry evident in his wrinkled face. Aldous immediately began shuffling around the crystals in a frenzy. The six of them each took a pad in the room, leaving only two of them open. "Once you arrive, be careful. Since we don't know what is happening, you'll have to keep your ears and eyes open. You'll arrive just outside of the main entrance to the Queen's personal chambers. From there, you are on your own. Good luck to all of you, and I hope that you find Genevieve and the Queen in safety."

"Thank you Aldous. We'll send word when we can," King Mickey said.

"Thank you, your majesty. And please…for all of us here, please keep Genevieve safe," he finished, a lump forming in his throat as he inserted the last crystal, turning the pads a blinding shade of purple.

"We will!" called King Mickey. The last any of them saw of Aldous was of him bowing to them, and then they were outside of the main gates which they had entered to eat dinner with the Queen. They were facing the opposite direction of the doors. Kairi immediately turned around…and screamed. The five males spun around only to see the slain bodies of the Elite Guard dispersed casually around the enormous doors to the Queen's personal chambers, with both doors standing wide open.

Sora quickly went and wrapped Kairi in his arms, pulling her face into his shoulder so she couldn't see them. "Who could have done this?" he whispered in horror.

"I don't know, but if this is any indication Geni and the Queen are both in danger," Riku said as he summoned The Way to the Dawn.

"Let's go then!" Sora said. "Will you be alright Kairi?" he asked, pulling her away to look into her frightened blue eyes.

"I-I will be. They just startled me, is all." She swallowed the lump in her throat and summoned Sunset Blossom. "Let's go."

Sora nodded, and began to run down the hallway as he summoned Oathkeeper. Thankfully, Riku grabbed his shoulder just in time.

"Wait Sora! We don't know what we're up against. This isn't the time to run straight into the enemy's hands! Even though we have to hurry, we shouldn't rush into a trap, okay?" Riku stood up straight. "Sora and I will take point, followed by King Mickey and Kairi. Donald, can you and Goofy take the rear and watch our backs?"

"Sure Riku!" Donald said, brandishing his magic wand. Goofy brought out his shield, crouching into his ready position.

"Okay. Now that we've got a plan, let's hurry up," Riku said. He turned and began running towards the open doors. As they passed by the bodies of the Elite Guard, Kairi faced straight towards the open door so as not to look. On the other hand, Goofy felt sorry for them and looked down as he passed. In doing so, he accidentally tripped over one of the bodies and landed flat on his face, causing quite a ruckus in doing so. The group stopped, and Sora ran back to help Goofy up.

"Come on you big palooka!" Donald shouted. "Do you want to tell everyone we're here?"

"A-hyuk, sorry Donald," Goofy said, scratching the back of his head. However, Goofy noticed Sora staring at the body that he had tripped on. Looking back with him, he saw that the armor was completely empty. "It's empty?" he said out loud, making everyone come back to look.

"How can they be empty?" Kairi said, breathing a sigh of relief that the armor wasn't a bunch of dead Guards.

Riku came up and kneeled next to Sora, placing his hand on the armor. He suddenly pulled his hand back, as if burned by it. "Darkness," he said quietly. "These armors had darkness inside of them. It feels like…Heartless…"

"But what about the Guards from earlier? What happened to them then?" Sora asked Riku.

"I don't know, but we had better get to the bottom of this," Riku said, standing up and looking down the deserted hallway. "If there are Heartless or Nobodies here, it can't be good."

"Then why are we wasting time here!" King Mickey said, brandishing Kingdom Key. His eyes blazed with anger. "If Geni is hurt at all, I swear…"

"Then let's go help her," Sora said to the small king. "It's about time we stepped in and let her stop fighting our own battles for us," he said with a smirk.

King Mickey nodded. "It's our fight too now!" As if on a nonverbal cue, the four Keybearers, the magician, and the guardian ran into the Queen of the Keeper's personal chambers.

Silence greeted them as they came to the dining room. The table was immaculately clean, and the chairs had all been pushed in. "No one here," Sora said. He looked down the three hallways leading off from the dining hall. "Which way now?"

The group of six stepped closer to the doorways, watching for danger. Just then, King Mickey's ears twitched. "This way! I can hear fighting," he said just as he ran down the middle hallway.

"This is the way to the Audience Chamber," Goofy reminded everyone as they ran. As they ran, they began to see signs of battle; a tapestry laying on the floor here, a chair lying on its back, scorch marks on the wall from magic. As they ran down the extremely long corridor to the Audience Chamber, they could finally hear shouting and weapons connecting with metal.

"Almost there!" Sora shouted. Turning the very last corner, the group skidded to a halt. In front of them stood the enormous double doors to the Audience Chamber, but in front of them an epic battle was taking place.

Geni, staff in hand, was fighting eight to one with the Elite Guards of the Palace. Several of them were already lying motionless on the ground. Just as they had entered, Geni defeated another one of the Elite Guards by sending her staff straight into their armor at the shoulder joint. However, instead of a cry of pain, black mist spewed out of the hole in the armor forcing it to collapse and remain motionless on the floor. Of course, Geni was in slightly better shape; only a few cuts here and there were visible.

"Geni!" Sora shouted. Geni spun around in confusion, allowing the Guards a slight advantage. Two of them pounced in on her, their spears just about to pierce her in the back, when a Dark Aura blocked them.

"Behind you!" shouted Riku.

"Ah!" Sora shouted as he jumped into the fray, fighting off the two Guards that had teamed up on Geni. King Mickey took the two on Sora's right side, while Riku took the two on Sora's left. Goofy and Donald each took one Guard as well, leaving Kairi to go and see to Geni.

"Are you alright?" Kairi asked Geni as she placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her over in dismay. Besides several cuts and one larger gash to her shoulder which had already stopped bleeding, she was perfectly fine.

"I'm fine," Geni said, panting. She quickly removed Kairi's hand from her shoulder. "I have to get in there!" she said, and ran straight through the battling parties towards the entrance to the Audience Chamber.

"Geni! Wait!" cried Kairi. Shaking her head, Kairi ran after the spiky brunette. By this time, only three of the Elite Guards remained, the rest lying motionless on the floor now that the darkness had been released from inside of them.

Sora helped Donald and Riku helped Goofy to finish off their Elite Guards, then turned and together all five of them finished off the last Elite Guard. Once more, it had turned quiet in the hall. Looking around, Sora searched for Kairi and Geni. "Where did they go?" he asked, but suddenly he saw the two girls pushing on the door to the Audience Chamber. At that moment the door slid open enough for Geni to squeeze on in, leaving Kairi to continue pushing it open.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, running over to help her. But as he laid his hand upon the door to help her push, they both froze in their tracks.

From inside of the Audience Chamber came an inhuman scream; a scream rent with anguish, desolation, and rage. A scream that made the blood run cold of Sora, Kairi, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Of its own accord, seemingly, the door that Sora and Kairi were pushing on opened up wide enough to allow the six of them to peer into the Audience Chamber without moving from their spots. The horror that awaited them inside matched the scream that still rung in their ears.

Geni was standing halfway to the dais on which Dowager Queen Hisako had sat upon during their meeting with her that afternoon. Her eyes were wide with shock, her feet frozen to the spot. She could not breathe, could not think; her mind and her eyes were trapped to a sickening fixation, the place where her hand had been reaching out to as she had entered the Audience Chamber.

Dowager Queen Hisako still sat upon her regal throne. Her body, pale and listless. Her eyes, staring forever into eternity.

The Queen…was dead.


	24. Long Live The Queen

Chapter 23

"Queen Hisako…" Geni whispered, more horror and anguish laced into her voice than anyone had every heard before. "Queen Hisako…I've come like you asked…" Geni said, her voice trembling as she walked awkwardly towards the throne. Seeing what she was about to do, Sora ran past Kairi and past Geni, placing himself between her and the Queen.

"Geni?" he asked her softly.

Geni looked into Sora's eyes. He was startled to see how blank they were, and how pale her face was. "Sora…the Queen…Queen Hisako needs me…"

"No she doesn't," Sora replied, shaking his head. "She's gone…"

"No she's not!" Geni suddenly shouted. "She's sitting right there!" She suddenly ran towards Sora, reaching out towards the Queen, but Sora grabbed her into a large bear hug, struggling to hold onto her. "No! Let me go!" she screamed at him, pounding on his chest to let her go. Sora held on as Geni beat him again and again, waiting for her anguish to run its course.

"Geni," King Mickey said gently as the five of them joined the twins near the dais. "Geni, she's gone. You must let her rest in peace now."

"No! You're lying! She's not dead!" Geni cried, still trying to escape from Sora's grasp. Riku came up from behind her and grabbed her wrists tightly, holding them high above her head. "No! Let me go!" she shouted again, struggling between the two boys.

"Geni, please calm down," Riku said in a monotone voice. "What would the Queen say if she saw you right now?"

Geni's arms froze in place, her struggling ceased. Her fists unclenched themselves, showing half moon imprints in her palms. "Queen Hisako…" Geni said quietly, her voice trembling. Sora let go of his sister first, and seeing that all of the fight had drained out of her, Riku followed soon after. Geni stood there, staring at the Queen. All of a sudden, she spoke with such venom in her voice. "Who…?" she said, gritting her teeth. "Who could have done this?"

"Yes, who, I wonder? Perhaps you could enlighten me." Geni spun her head to the right so fast she probably gave herself whiplash. Advisor Donovan walked slowly and surely out from a side door in the Audience Chamber. A heavy thumping alternated with the lighter taps of his cane on the floor as he made his way towards them. "My my, so Hisako is dead. Long live the Queen, I suppose?" he said suggestively, tilting his head to look at her.

Blue fire smoldered in Geni's eyes. "How dare you suggest –?!"

"And who is to say otherwise? I come in here, looking for her majesty, when I see the seven of you standing in front of her lifeless corpse. Also, just look at all the slain Elite Guards in front of the doors to her private chambers, as well as the Elite Guards just outside of these doors. My, it would seem as if there has been a coup d'etat this evening," he said casually.

Geni clenched her fists, swallowing the lump in her throat before speaking. "What have you done?" she said quietly, but just loud enough so everyone could hear her.

"What do you mean? _I_ haven't done anything," Donovan replied with a sneer. "However, what will everyone say when they hear that the kind and gentle Crown Princess has slain the poor, defenseless, and overly trusting Dowager Queen in order to gain control of the entire Realm, putting all of its inhabitants at her mercy? I would think that would be fair payback, considering your past treatment. Think of all of the ones who would feel like they have been stabbed in the back by you – all of your supposed _friends_. I, myself, still can't believe you would stoop so low. And especially during the time in which your closest family and friends would be visiting. Very convenient that you could leave the Realm and get off scot free. I mean, how could you? They all trusted you!"

"That's enough!" an elderly voice shouted sternly. Heads once again whipped around them, and to everyone's surprise Madame Lirona walked into the Audience Chamber, her own cane quietly clicking against the stone floor. "Donovan, you fool! Do you really think that anyone would believe this charade of yours? You haven't changed a bit in your lust for power – you just chose to hide it after your last failure," she said as she passed through the group on her way to the throne. Geni watched her with unflinching eyes. Lirona stopped momentarily to lay a hand on her arm, and then continued on up the steps to the throne where Queen Hisako still sat in her deathly pallor. "Hisako, my dear," Lirona said, bowing deeply to the deceased Queen. "Please find your peace in eternal rest," she murmured quietly as she used her free hand to close the Queen's lifeless eyes.

Donovan watched Lirona with quiet interest. _Three birds with one stone?_ he thought to himself. _Why not?_ "Why are you here, old bag?" he said to Lirona with a laugh. "I thought you were still looking after those failures the Academia let in."

"My students have nothing to do with this," Lirona snapped, turning to face him. "Right now, my problem concerns you and all of the murderous deeds you have committed this night."

"What deeds? All I did was come looking for the Queen, and found this inadequate group standing in front of her corpse. Speaking of which, it's about time I alerted the rest of the Palace to this tragedy and had these traitors arrested and executed for treason." He turned and began walking towards the door he had entered from. Suddenly, he turned, as if remembering something. "Oh, and what about you Lirona? If you decide to do the right thing and join with me, I'll ensure sure that your legacy at the Academia stays…unharmed," he said, his brow creasing.

"As if I would join with such a foul minded person! I would rather die before taking that path, you piece of walking garbage," she spat at him.

"Well, now I would hate to see your pretty face set in stone like the Queen's there," Donovan said with a maniacal laugh. "If not you then –" Donovan suddenly brought up his hand and pointed it at Geni, "maybe your favorite! _Atruschek!_" A red light burst from his hand, aimed directly at Geni.

Time slowed down to a standstill. Geni watched the beam come closer and closer, her body frozen to the spot as she watched her own death appear once again before her very eyes. Sora and Riku shouted and began to dash towards her, to deflect the beam with their Keyblades. Goofy threw back his arm, ready to throw his shield and also deflect the beam. Donald readied and was about to deploy an Aeroga spell to shield Geni. However, none of them made it in time.

In a blinding flash of light, Donovan smiled evilly. _Well, at least I got one of them_¸ he thought to himself as he quickly hobbled away in the confusion. _Now, to set in motion the rest of my plans…_ No one noticed as he slipped out the side door quietly and began to sound the alarm of the assassination.

"No!" Geni screamed. At the last second, Lirona – even in her older age – found her last wellspring of youth and jumped in front of the deathly spell, taking it full force. As the dark magic took effect, her body immediately weakened and she began to fall to the floor. Geni ran forward and caught the old woman, cradling her in her arms. "No Lirona! Why?" she sobbed as she looked into her fading eyes. Once a bright shade of amethyst, her eyes darkened more and more as her life force escaped from an invisible wound that could not be healed.

"I couldn't…let you get hurt," she managed to say, all the while taking heaving breaths. "Besides…with Hisako dead…you're still the next…to rule," she gasped out softly.

"No! I can't…" Geni sobbed, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Yes you can," Lirona said more forcefully. She brought her hand up shakily and tried to wipe the tears from Geni's face. "Still…a crybaby…after all these years," she said with a hoarse laugh.

"Don't call me that," Geni said, choking on her words. "You know I hate it when you call me that."

"If not now…then when?" Lirona said softly, her breathing slowing as her body began to slow as well. She placed her hand on Geni's shoulder and squeezed it with her last remaining strength. "Listen…Geni. You must go now. You must get out of the city…they will be looking for you…all of you. The four…are the only ones…who can stop him now…" Lirona took a deep but shaky breath. King Mickey looked surprised at her choice of words, wondering if anyone else noticed if it was a mistake or completely on purpose. "I want you to take my necklace," she told Geni.

"Your necklace? But why?" Geni replied, confused.

"I have set it…to record everything that…has happened tonight. Donovan…must not succeed. Now…give me your hand." Geni brought her right hand forward, and grasped Lirona's hand. She could feel it shaking heavily, and was already becoming cold. "Now…come here," she whispered. "There are things you must know before I pass."

"No…you're not going to die; you'll be alright," Geni said, forcing herself to smile.

"Do not joke with the dying…child," Lirona told her softly. Biting her lip, Geni forced herself to lean in and listen to the old woman's dying whispers. Once she was finished, Geni lifted her head, fresh tears already running down her face. "King…Mickey?" Lirona called out.

"Yes?" he said, quickly running forward and kneeling down.

"I have…a request of you."

"Name it," the little mouse said earnestly.

"Please…take care of…my granddaughter…for…me…" she said in a whisper, her voice getting softer and softer, until the last syllable was barely audible. Geni felt her grip on her hand loosening, until the last of her strength ran out and it fell limp in Geni's hand. A small whoosh of breath was released from her pale lips, and Lirona breathed her last.

"Lirona," Geni said in a hushed voice, slowly and reverently placing her hand upon her chest. Geni put her free hand behind her head, and slowly raised her body until she was hugging her to her chest. "Lirona…" Geni said again, tears streaming down her face. She looked down upon her face; her eyes and mouth were closed, her body heavy in Geni's arms. The once strong, proud, and very vocal woman now lay peacefully silent. The Audience Chamber had once been used for the living; now, it was a mausoleum for the dead.

The seven living people remained silent, save for the occasional whimpers coming from Geni. Kairi had grabbed Sora's hand after the attack had occurred, but now Sora pulled away from her and began to walk forward. Kairi understood his actions perfectly, and went to stand next to Riku. Sora came forward and knelt down next to Geni, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes red and wet.

"I'm sorry," Sora said to her quietly. Geni nodded in appreciation. "She must have cared very deeply for you to do that."

"She…" Geni began, but before she could utter another word the harsh pounding of metal covered feet and shouting could be heard coming from all over the Palace.

"We have to go," Riku said. "Now."

"But…what about…?" Geni began, gripping Lirona tighter than ever.

"There's nothing we can do for them now," King Mickey said apologetically. "And right now, that Donovan person problem has everyone believing that we caused all of this. So the best course is to get out of here and prove ourselves innocent somehow." King Mickey turned towards Geni. "You're the only one who can get us out of here. We're counting on you."

Geni stared at King Mickey before looking down at Lirona's peaceful face. Nodding, she leaned down and placed a small kiss on Lirona's forehead. "Once this is all over, I'll perform all of the rites for you and for the Queen. Goodbye Lirona…and thank you." Ever so gently, Geni lowered her body to the floor. Once there, she crossed her hands over her middle as if she were bowing, and picked up her cane from next to her and slid it underneath them. _Keldar, please understand this, _she hoped quietly in her mind. Hesitantly, Geni lifted her head up once more as she took her necklace from around her neck; it was a white oval stone, black runes etched into its surface. Geni carefully placed her head back down on the cold stone floor, and even more carefully placed her necklace into the pouch on her hip. Once finished, she nodded to herself and quickly stood up. She used the back of her hand to wipe her eyes, and then turned towards everyone with a look of determination. "There is only one way out from here that the Guards won't expect. They'll assume we will go and use the transports to get out of the Palace. Everyone, stand together as tight as you possibly can."

"Why?" Sora asked, rushing to stand next to his friends.

"Because we're busting ourselves out of here," Geni explained. She shot her arm out to the side, and immediately the enormous doors closed of their own accord. They also glowed blue for a moment. Geni used the same magic for the door Donovan had used as well. "I've locked the doors, but that won't buy us much time. From now on, I need all of you to stay as silent as you possibly can. Don't talk, don't whisper, and breathe as quietly as you can. Oh, and hang on."

Geni folded her hands in front of her, as one would do in prayer, and began to chant several spells as fast as she possibly could under her breath. The first was automatically noticeable, because in seconds the group realized that they could see through themselves as well as Geni; she had cast an invisibility spell on them! The next spell created a bubble around them, with one link of magic connecting them to Geni. As for the last spell, her body began to glow a soft purple, the magic concentrating itself on her back. She began to glow brighter and brighter; two elongated bumps formed along her upper back near her shoulder blades. In mere seconds, a large _rrriiiiiiipppp!_ was heard, and the cloth covering Geni's back was punctuated with two long holes. But what had sprouted out of these holes was incredible; a pair of pure, untainted, white feathered wings rustled in an unseen breeze as she stood there for a moment, breathing deeply from all the magic she had just cast.

"Beautiful," Kairi whispered with wonder.

"Thank you," Geni replied with a small smile. "Now, it's time to get out of here. And remember, no noise." She looked over once more at the two pale bodies, of those she cared the most about in this Realm. "Goodbye…Hisako…Lirona…" she whispered. Tearing her eyes away, she bent her knees and flapped her great wings in a large down beat, creating a large gust of wind in the room. Her wingspan must have been at least fifteen feet across, after all. After several of these, both Geni and the magic ball containing her friends and family lifted through the air and up towards the glass ceiling.

It was a good thing, too, because at that moment all of the Guards from all over the Palace stormed through the blockaded doors and into the Audience Chamber, and a great cry rose from their throats at finding their Dowager Queen and the head of the Music Branch of the Academia both dead, with none of their murderers in sight. Keldar stormed in with them, the first of several to witness the garish scene. He saw at once the Queen, bowing his head to hide his anger. However, as he did, he noticed Lirona on the floor. He walked up to her, and knelt by her side, looking at her peaceful face. Unlike the Queen's which was set in a slight grimace, Lirona looked completely at peace in her death. He also saw that her hands were folded in the proper manner for burial, and her cane rested like a sword, running the length of her body. _Strange_, he thought to himself. _What kind of murderer would give her the honor of a warrior's rest?_

As Geni rose higher and higher, the glass dome came closer and closer. Sora felt like screaming "Watch out!" or something to that effect, but they effortlessly passed through the ceiling and into the stormy night. Of course, the magic protected them from the rain, but the high winds threatened to send them spiraling downwards on many occasions during their flight. The six of them watched the city fly by underneath them, many of the houses dark by this time of the night. As to where they were heading, exactly, they didn't know – Geni led them on, flying with little difficulty through the raging storm, to hopefully what would be a safe haven. She glided over the city, occasionally flapping her wings. Anyone looking up would only think a bird was trying to outwit the storm by flying as high as it could, but to those in the bubble Geni seemed like an island of calm in the midst of the raging storm.

Geni's course took them over the rest of the Palace and across the vast grounds of the Academia before they began to follow a waterway towards one of the residential sections of the capital. Seeing the domed buildings beginning to rise in front of them, Geni angled her descent towards one section in particular. The wind buffeted her wings, sending her careening to the right on one occasion, but somehow she managed to reach their destination unharmed. However...she did not fail to notice that the city was beginning to be shut down, and Dawn Dwellings was beginning to get cordoned off by the Guard.

_Hurry hurry hurry!_ she shouted mentally to herself. Luckily for them, just at that moment Geni saw her own building and she dove towards it. Quickly flapping her enormous wings, she slowed her descent along with the magic bubble encasing her family and gently set them down upon the small balcony just outside of her room. Once they were all safe on solid ground, Geni once again gathered her hands in front of her and released all of the spells she had cast. The bubble burst, everyone could see each other again, and Geni's wings vanished, sparkling in the dark night. She ran up to her outer door and quickly opened it, ushering them all inside. "Hurry! Get in!" she hissed at them.

Once everyone was inside and dripping, Geni closed the door and shut out the storm for the time being. She walked over to her desk and blew on the globe sitting peacefully atop it. A soft light began to emit from it, brightening the shadowed room. The light revealed a study filled with books and boxes, a large four poster bed, a messy writing desk, and two doors – one leading to a full bathroom and the other to the outside hallway.

"Where are we?" Sora asked quietly as he looked around.

"Dawn Dwellings," Geni replied shortly. "And we don't have much time either."

"You mean we're back at your apartment?" Kairi said, shivering as she crossed her arms. Sora walked over to her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms, lending her some of his body heat.

"Yes. We'll need to grab some supplies and then get out of here. Unfortunately for us, it looked like the entire Guard for the city was heading this way," Geni said. As she spoke, she had walked to what looked like a closet and grabbed a decent sized back pack. She also began to walk around and collect certain items and toss them on her bed as well. "Before we do anything, put your pass cards on my desk. The Guard can track you through the magic that has been imbued into them." Six pairs of feet quickly walked over and dropped the identification cards so fast they might have been on fire. Geni also reached behind her neck and pulled off her choker, placing it on the pile as well. "Now, what we need to do is get your things from downstairs, but I don't want any of you to be seen by anyone here."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Everyone's sleeping, aren't they?" Sora said, turning to face her.

"Most, but not all unfortunately. This building is known for its insomniacs who work at all hours of the night when the inspiration strikes them. No, someone has to go who can get down there quickly and get back up here without making a sound or being seen." She turned around and looked at Riku. "And you're the only one who can right now."

"I understand," Riku said, moving towards the door. "I'll be back in two minutes."

"Don't use any magic or techniques – they'll attract attention," Geni called from over her shoulder. "Everyone will sense it right away, and dark magic isn't too common around here."

"Right." Quietly and quickly, Riku opened the door and closed it behind him without making a sound. He slunk into the shadows along the wall, watching for anyone who might be awake. Looking around, he saw that they were on the fourth floor, with three below him and one above him. He considered jumping down, but immediately shook his head. Someone would notice him for sure that way. So instead Riku walked within the shadows until he found a staircase leading down. Thankfully, it went all the way to the first floor. Looking around, he saw that the kitchens were not too far to his left; he remembered that the guest rooms were opposite the kitchen, so he immediately banked right. At one point, Riku ducked into a small but dark alcove when someone walked across the courtyard and into the kitchen, opening the door with a loud squeak. He waited a few seconds before continuing onwards. At last he found the door he was looking for.

Opening the door to his own room quietly, he smiled because of his good luck. All of their bags were still sitting on their beds completely packed. He grabbed all five of them, lugging most of them onto his back, and then made his way to the door once again. Outside in the hallway, he paused…listening. He couldn't tell if it was the thunder or not, but he began to hear a dull roar coming ever closer. Swearing under his breath, he realized it must the Guards Geni saw from before. Throwing caution to the wind, he quickly barged into the room where Kairi was and grabbed her bag as well. Racing out the door, he dashed back towards the staircase he had used to come down and ran up the four flights of stairs to the floor in which Geni's room was located.

Panting slightly due to the heavy baggage he carried (he was definitely going to ask Goofy if he had bricks in his bag), he swiftly ran towards Geni's door, seeing a soft glow radiating from the crack underneath it. As he came up, he could her hushed whispers, but when he knocked all noise ceased momentarily. A shadow walked towards the door, hesitating. "It's me," Riku said in the softest voice he could manage. The door flung open and Geni ushered him in. "Hurry and grab whatever is yours. I heard the Guards coming from outside," he mentioned.

Geni cursed under her breath. "I'm almost done. But stay away from the door and window in case they start looking here right away." While Riku was gone, she had gone through her emergency supplies and packed some food, a few light blankets, and some trinkets she thought might come in handy for bartering on their escape to freedom. Running over to her desk, she pulled out a small wooden box. Shielding the others with her body, she grabbed the thalassa shell necklace and bunched it up in her fist. She paused to look at all of the photos that lined her desk, glad that they had not been taken magically so they could not be used to trace them. However…Geni glanced down at her crystal ball. _That'll be the last to go…_she thought to herself. She dashed to her bed and stuffed the last item carefully into a side pocket within the pack. Turning around, she asked them, "Are all of you ready? We'll be traveling quite a long distance."

"Where are we going?" Sora asked her, checking his bag one last time.

"I'll tell you later. Right now my first priority is getting all of you safely away from here. Now, huddle up like before." Geni about-faced and walked back to her desk, leaving her friends and family to squish together. She carefully picked up the crystal ball and held it away from her, dimming the light within it until it was no more.

"Geni…what are you doing?" Donald asked her in the inky blackness, sometimes punctuated by flashes of light. "This isn't the time to make a phone call."

"I'm not. My crystal is also imbued with a lot of my own magic." She held the crystal high over her head. "Which means I have to destroy it." However, as fate may have its cruel ironies, a soft knock was heard at the door. All seven of them froze as the door softly swung open.

"Geni?" a voice called timidly. "Are you in there?"

Said person lowered the crystal they had just been about to smash. "Elwen? Elwen, what are you doing here?!" Geni said in an angry whisper.

Elwen quickly stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "I know, I'm sorry! But there are Guards swarming around everywhere outside, and they want to search the building! Philothea is holding them up, saying everyone is sleeping, but I don't know how long she'll last. Please, what's going on?" she begged her softly.

Geni looked at her friend, sadness and regret gnawing at the pit of her stomach. "I-I can't tell you, Elwen."

Elwen looked at Geni critically in the dim light, finally noticing the heavy packs upon the backs of everyone present save her. She also saw Geni's precious crystal ball in her hands, and her throat empty of the choker that always hung there. Her eyes widened in understanding. "No…you can't…why?" she begged her, rushing over to her and grabbing her arms. "Why are you leaving? Why are the Guards after you? What have you _done?!_"

"Elwen," Geni said in a commanding voice. She looked up to her best friend, and saw the regret in her eyes. Geni raised her arms, bringing Elwen's with hers until they were high over their heads. Staring into each other's eyes, Geni let go of the crystal ball and let it drop to the floor. A loud crash resounded, and the crystal broke into several large pieces. Purple colored magic floated from the remains and back into Geni as she brought her and Elwen's arms back down.

Suddenly, shouting was heard from below them. "What was that crash? Quick, they're upstairs! After the murderers!"

Elwen's eyes glazed over, realization of what exactly was going on racing through her thoughts. She looked at Geni before she slowly closed her eyes, her grip on her arms going slack.

"I'm sorry," Geni whispered, before she lifted her right hand and clenched it. Pulling it back, she thrust it forward and into Elwen's stomach, sending her flying and crashing into the wall next to her door. Elwen sank to the floor slowly, her head lolling onto her chest as she lost consciousness. Geni waved her arm in the general direction of her door, locking it momentarily. She slowly turned and walked back to her dumbfounded family and friends. "It's time to go," Geni said in a hushed whisper.

Once again, Geni closed her eyes and locked her hands, murmuring the spells needed for invisibility, the bubble to hold everyone, and the wings that once again sprung brilliantly from her back. As soon as she finished, several fists began to pound on the door, belonging to several voices shouting to let them in. She walked quietly to her window and straight through it with the bubble of magic floating behind her, linked to her with the thread of magic. Once they cleared the window, Geni bent her knees and flapped her great wings once more, and off they flew into the stormy night. She herself did not look back once, but the rest of them did. They saw lights blaze on in Geni's room as many people crowded into it; the figure of Elwen lying motionless on the floor by the door disappeared with their entry.

No one said a word as they flew over the city. Above homes, above businesses, above schools, above the markets, above the canals, in between tall buildings; onwards they flew until at last they could finally see a patch of pure black, where no specks of light penetrated, indicating that they were at last coming to the outer edge of the capital, to the wilderness that surrounded it. Of course, the capital was the very center of the Realm. Outside of it there were smaller cities and villages spread throughout the countryside. Forests and rivers covered most of the land, while to the north was a massive desert where a large nation of nomads lived, constantly changing their villages to where the water and food were. The desert was called the Ocean of Dust, because of the way the sand constantly shifted like water in parts of it. To the south was the vast mountain range known as the Beast's Rest, oddly enough. To travel beyond them was to traverse their highest peaks which were always covered in snow, making travel beyond them difficult unless one went high over them in an airship, or all the way around them utilizing the many rivers flowing into and out of the capital. Beyond that was the tropical part of the realm, which after a long while ended in an even vaster ocean.

Geni was flying south, towards the mountains, even though it was impossible to tell because of the pounding rain. Of course, having taken the trip so often in her youth, the route to her current destination was ingrained into her brain like remembering how to tie your shoes or ride a bicycle – you never forget. However, the storm was quickly worsening, and she knew that even though her magic protected them from the rain, the wind and the anxiety felt by all of them was slowly wearing on her. Geni knew her magic would slowly begin to falter, and she knew that she had better land and take shelter sooner rather than later. She peered into the blinding darkness, waiting for the flash out light she knew would come soon. The lightning struck to their far right, but in that instant Geni saw the outlay of the land and used the map in her head. She smiled a little, before frowning in concentration. They were in between the most populated routes in and out of the capital – a trade road and a great river – which meant that there weren't any people anywhere near them. All of the people who lived along those two routes utilized them to benefit and prosper by trading, selling, and buying from the capital.

Armed with this knowledge, Geni began to descend towards the dark forests below them. Keeping silent as Geni had asked, the six in the bubble wondered where she was leading them. When she had begun to descend, they had already been flying for a good hour already, and the bubble was beginning to get cramped. There was only so much room to sit down, and even then the smaller passengers ended up sitting on the larger ones, mainly King Mickey and Donald. So as anyone could expect, landing seemed like a very good idea indeed.

Geni skimmed the treetops, watching out for the bursts of wind that would send them flying back upwards. Suddenly in front of them appeared a small clearing, just big enough to land in without hitting any of the tall trees. Geni quickly flapped her wings, stopping her mid-glide, and angled towards the forest floor. As the rain pounded down upon them, Geni landed somewhat gracefully on the muddy ground, only sliding a bit when she braced her feet on wonderfully firm ground. Pausing, for the second time that night she released the magic around herself and her comrades. Immediately the rain began to soak into their clothes and packs, very wet and very cold. "Follow me," Geni said, loud enough to be heard over the storm, and began to walk quickly towards the line of trees in front of them.

Since it was difficult to see in the first place, all seven of them walked close to one another so as not to get lost in the strange forest. Geni led them around the enormous trunks of the tall trees, some measuring to over fifty feet in diameter! But the wonder of the forest was lost on the weary travelers, who only wanted someplace dry to rest their weary bodies and minds. Mere minutes later, Geni led them to exactly that: a sheer cliff suddenly loomed in front of them, but at the base of it there was a small opening, a cave. Geni walked straight up to the cave and entered it without fear, even though Kairi had second thoughts imagining large beasts of all kinds which could be inside of it.

Once inside, it was pitch black. "One second," Geni said softly. Sora heard her moving her hands around and whispering before a small light flared to life between her hands. "That's better. We have to go farther into the cave for now," she explained quietly.

"Why?" Sora asked, as he obediently followed her and the only light they had.

"For one, it's warmer where the wind can't get in. And two, we're fugitives wanted for murder, remember?" she said, quieting on the last words.

"Oh yeah," Sora said, grimacing. The group walked in silence, making their way past stalagmites and stalactites all around them, until they came upon the very back of the cave which was a small, raised plateau.

"We'll spend the night here," Geni said. She brightened the ball of light in her hands a little, allowing the others to see that there was nothing else in the cave but them. After doing so, Geni placed the glowing sphere down in the middle of the floor. "I'll be right back – so go ahead and unpack whatever you need," she told them as she made her way past all of them and back into the darkness.

"Where are you going?" King Mickey called, worry etched into his voice.

"Just to put up a few precautions," Geni's voice said from within the darkness. "Don't worry – I'll be back in a moment." And with that, her voice was silent. Not even her footsteps could be heard, although the dull roar of the storm did penetrate as far back as their hiding place.

Sora flopped down onto the stone floor, tossing his pack next to him. Kairi sat down gently next to him, holding her bag close to her chest. One by one, all six of them found a somewhat comfortable spot and sat in silence, waiting. No one really wanted to broach the subject of what had just happened within the past several hours. For a good five minutes, each one stared at the glowing sphere of light, lost in their own thoughts. After that, almost imperceptible footsteps were heard coming back towards them. Riku, who had spent so much time in the darkness and also while blindfolded, sensed this and was able to hear them and so turned towards the sound. Within moments, Geni suddenly appeared within the small circle of light, a little more wet than the rest of them.

"So…" Goofy started, scratching his chin.

"We're safe for the moment. I've put up sensory spells within a mile of the cave, as well as just outside of it. I've also put up a shield, as well as a sensory barrier. No one will know we're here unless they come into the cave itself," she said as she slowly sat down on the far side of the fire, away from her friends and family. She crossed her legs Indian style and opened her bag. "Did any of you bring emergency supplies or rations with you?"

"Just some snacks," Sora said.

"I've got a blanket and a first aid kit," Kairi supplied.

"I've got our leftover lunches, a-hyuk," Goofy said.

"I have two blankets, a box of granola bars, a flashlight, matches, and several bottles of water," Riku stated.

"Wow Riku – you really came prepared," Sora said with a small laugh.

"Well, one of us had to be," he retorted with a semi-forced smile. "What about you guys?" he said, referring to King Mickey and Donald.

"Well, I have some potions, ethers, and some food and water as well, but that's it," Donald told them.

"And I have some books and papers. Sorry," King Mickey said sheepishly, bowing his head.

"That's alright. You won't need supplies for more than tonight," Geni told him in a kind voice.

"Really? Why?" Sora asked her.

Geni was silent as she rummaged through her bag, looking for something. "Because…I'm sending all of you back to the castle tomorrow," she mumbled.

"What?" Sora shouted, standing up. "You can't do that."

"And why not?" Geni snapped at him.

Sora flinched, taking a step back. "But we can help! We can help prove your innocence – we were there! You can't do this all by yourself!" he said with gritted teeth, standing up straight and staring her in the eye.

"You're right – I can't," Geni said, standing up to face him, fists clenched. "But that doesn't mean that you're getting involved. This will be far more dangerous than anything you've done before Sora – these are _real_ people, who will kill or be killed…not vanish back in to the darkness like Heartless." She paused, turning around.

In that instant Sora interrupted her to try and speak some sense into her one last time. "Then what about Elwen?" Geni whipped around, hearing his accusatory tone. "Without even hearing what she had to say, you went ahead and threw her against the wall and knocked her unconscious! I thought she was your friend!"

"She is! And I don't want her to die because of me!" Geni shouted back at him. Sora took a step back, clearly confused. "If we had left with Elwen in one piece, people would have wondered why and pinned her as my accomplice! If I hadn't, she would have been sitting in some cell somewhere, waiting for the execution squad!" she finished, her fists clenched at her sides, her chest heaving from anger. She suddenly spun around. "Look, I don't care what you all are thinking…about me, about the lies I've told you, about what you've seen here, and about what you came here planning to do. I don't want your pity, I don't want your sympathy, and I _especially _don't-want-your-help," she ground out, emphasizing the last four words forcefully. And with that, she began to walk out of the circle of light.

"Now just wait a damn second!" Sora shouted, running over to her and grabbing her arm. Geni whipped her head around, her face red with anger. "_We_ are not going anywhere, and _we_ are going to help you set things straight." He rushed on without even giving her the chance to respond. "You assume we're all set against you, that we're angry at you for wronging us. Did you ever think for one second that we wanted to help because this place and these people are important to _you_? That even though we have no idea what we're doing, we want to stick by you until the end? Because that's what _friends_ – what _family,_ do, Geni! We help and protect each other no matter what!" he shouted in her face, shaking.

All color drained from Geni's face as she slowly absorbed Sora's words. "You mean…you aren't angry? You…don't hate me?" she asked in a whisper.

Sora immediately softened, releasing her arm, and smiled at her. "Of course not. I could never hate you, no matter what."

Geni looked down at her feet, feeling absolutely horrible. "I'm so sorry Sora," she finally managed to say after a long moment, before turning tail and running back through the cave.

"Geni!" Sora yelled, reaching out after her.

"Leave her alone Sora," King Mickey said sternly. Sora turned around, confused. "Right now, Geni has witnessed the murder of two of the closest people she probably had here. Her life as she knew it back at the capital is officially over, and she is wanted for murders she didn't commit. I have a feeling that she knew something like this might happen one day – which is why she didn't want us involved. But the Keyblades foresaw this."

"They did? How?" Kairi asked. "I didn't know they could see the future."

"They can't, but the Keyblades have always been able to sense the delicate balance of light and dark in the universe. I have a feeling that this is only the beginning of something that is about to get much worse. Do you remember the prophecy? There are four chosen Keyblade wielders, and one of them holds the power of ultimate darkness. Now, we thought that coming here and finding those mysterious Keybladers' would answer our questions once and for all, but upon coming here we haven't seen one Keyblade. Now, that doesn't mean that they aren't here; I just have a feeling that the people who do wield them have been hiding them from us. And that Donovan is the key to finding that."

"Why him?" Riku asked.

"Because he was mad for power…somehow he managed to kill the Queen without anyone noticing before we got there and then blame it on us. And considering she was the Queen, I doubt she would have been a pushover. Since it was him who probably did that, we can also assume it was him who changed the Guards into empty suits of armor which were propelled by darkness."

"So if he can control darkness, just like Maleficent used to, he could bring back the Heartless and Nobodies and take over the Realm?" Riku mused out loud. He was leaning against the stone wall, staring into the glowing sphere of magical light. "But why now? Why when Geni had finally gone through all of the trouble of getting your permission to stay here, get married, and take the throne? Why try and get rid of her now? I mean, I didn't see him trying to frame Keldar." Riku furrowed his brows, thinking.

"Maybe he didn't have to," Sora said after a moment. All eyes turned to him. "Maybe because he had lived here all of his life, unlike Geni – who was influenced by forces outside of the Realm – he would do anything to keep the Realm peaceful…even if it meant looking pass obvious deceptions and lies. He'll put the safety of everyone in the Realm first before Geni…and if that is so, he'll believe Donovan more than he'll believe anything we have to say. Even Geni."

"So really…we're on our one for this one," Goofy said quietly.

"Well, not completely. Geni did say she couldn't do it on her own – she just said that she didn't want to involve us. I have a feeling that she has some hidden friends somewhere who can help us fix this mess we've gotten ourselves into," King Mickey rationalized. He looked into the darkness. "But right now, Geni has to sort through all of her jumbled emotions and reason with herself before she can take even the tiniest step in the right direction." He looked around at their motley group. "I wonder if one of us should go and…talk to her, about everything that's happened tonight," he pondered out loud.

"I'll go," Sora immediately offered. "Unless anyone else…?"

"No, go ahead Sora," King Mickey immediately said before anyone could speak up. "You might have the best chance at breaking through to her. No offense Riku," King Mickey said in an apologetic tone.

Riku shook his head. "It's fine. That problem I caused without any help from anyone else. However…both Geni and I will have to sort through that problem as well sometime in the near future." He bent his head down, his silver hair hiding his eyes from view.

"Alright then," Sora said, standing up. "I'll be back soon." He strode from the comfortable glow and warmth of the sphere and out into the dark and damp cave. He was careful to watch his step, not knowing where the uneven floor would lead him and whether or not he would bump into any of the rock formations along the way. Thankfully, he arrived at the entrance of the cave just as an enormous bolt of lightning lit the area outside. He saw a figure curled up into a small ball near the very edge of the cave, but far enough away so that the rain would not dampen them. "Geni?" he called softly.

Geni had run blindly through the cave, not caring whether she stubbed her toe or bumped into rocks. All she wanted to do was to curl up and hide from the world. Reaching the edge of the cave, she stopped and swayed for a moment, deciding whether or not to venture outside into the downpour. Deciding against it for the safety of the others as well as keeping herself dry, she sat down hard on the floor. She curled up her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and buried her head in her knees. She did not cry, but that didn't mean her eyes did not sting or her breath did not come in shaky gasps. She pressed her eyes against her kneecaps, trying to push out the images plaguing her mind.

Geni once more saw the Queen, unmoving and lifeless but still very regal, sitting upon her throne. The few wrinkles she did have…had, stood out prominently on her ashy skin, her eyes dead and blank, her head lolling to the side. She had only been talking and eating with her earlier that evening, and now she would never hear any of her great pearls of wisdom ever again. Then…Lirona. Lirona, who had thrown herself in front of her, who had sacrificed what little life she had had left to spare Geni's own. Lirona, who from the beginning had always made time for her. Who had always had Geni's favorite tea and cookies ready for her each time she visited her, no matter how unexpected it was. Who gave her more time and patient teaching to her to make sure she was the best in the entire Academia. Who…had adopted her as her own granddaughter the first day Geni had been shoved on her doorstep. She reached into her pouch and took out the oval stone, turning it over and over inside of her closed fist.

"Geni?" she heard someone call her name quietly. Geni looked up through hazy eyes to see Sora standing not too far away from her. Instead of answering him, she just turned her face away towards the pounding rain outside. "Geni," she heard him say once more, feeling the air shift around them as he walked towards her and stood looking down upon her. "Do…do you want to talk, or something?" he asked her gently.

"Not really," she answered softly.

"Then can I at least sit down with you?"

"If you want to."

"Thanks," Sora said, sliding down the wall next to her. They sat in silence, listening to the symphony of rain, wind, and thunder. "I'm sorry about the Queen and Lirona," he said sympathetically. "You were really close to them, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Geni said in a tiny whisper.

"I can see how you would get to know the Queen, since she was the first to let you stay in the Realm, but how did you come to know Lirona? Was she your teacher a lot here?" he continued.

"Mmm-hmm," Geni replied. "She…Lirona was the first person, besides her majesty, to accept me not as an outsider but as a person. She didn't care where I came from, or what my reasons were; she taught me like any one of her students and expected the same from me. She…she ended up being one of my best friends," Geni said, choking on the last words.

"She seemed like a really nice person, at least from what little I've seen," Sora said, trying to prod his sister into talking some more.

"She wasn't just nice; she cared about every single person who was in her charge, no matter if it was only for one class or for following in her footsteps in the Academia. She stood up for those who came from the common families, those who went to the Academia not because of rich families but because they wanted to better themselves and help people in the process. Lirona helped those who wanted to help themselves. She had the ability to see the potential in everyone, and nurtured that potential by gently prodding that person in the right direction." Geni tightened her grip on the stone in her palm. She was still facing away from Sora, but Sora could feel her emotional barriers slowly starting to fall. "Lirona was at the forefront of the movement to have the Realm once again get involved with the rest of the universe, showing through me that there was a possibility of not just peace here in the Realm but throughout the cosmos. She put all of her hopes and dreams for a future of peace onto me…her legacy. When I ended up being chosen to rule, I was so angry that I lashed out at everyone around me, including her. I didn't see until later why she was disappointed and happy at the same time…"

Geni closed her eyes, remembering her words from long ago: _After all that work...I am so disappointed in you..._ Lirona's face had frowned with sadness and disappointment. "I had been blinded by selfishness, and didn't see that with being chosen I would be able to fulfill all of her wishes for peaceful relations with other worlds. It was Lirona who had changed my mind about rejecting the Council's decision. It was because of her I consented to all of this. But now look where it's led us. The Queen's dead, Lirona's dead, and we are wanted fugitives. Maybe if I hadn't accepted, none of this would have happened and Lirona would still be here," Geni finished in a bare whisper, turning around to bury her face in her knees once more. "I'm such a fool," she said harshly.

"No you're not," Sora said gently once she was finished. He brought his left arm up and around her shoulders, and pulled her against him. "You aren't a fool, and none of this is your fault. How were you to know that by accepting, that that evil Donovan was planning to kill the Queen? I mean, he probably wanted the power for himself. Isn't that the same for all bad guys?" he joked quietly. Not getting a response, he quickly went on. "As far as Lirona goes, it sounds like she cared about you more than anything. She was like family to you, wasn't she? The only family you had here in the Realm. The only person who cared about you even more than the Queen did. The person who raised you, taught you right from wrong, and who loved you more than life itself. She proved that tonight."

Geni was silent. "But –"

"No buts Geni. Lirona gave her life to give you yours. Now it's up to you to decide what to do with it. Will you give Donovan the satisfaction of giving up and allowing him to ruin what she worked so hard for, or will you fight and find a way to clear your name and make use of Lirona's last gift to you?" He paused, taking in a deep breath. "Whatever you decide to do, all of us are behind you one hundred percent." Sora brought his arm back from around her shoulders and began to push himself up, but was suddenly stopped when he felt an iron grip grab his arm. He smiled, looking down at his sister.

"What if…what if I'm not strong enough?" she whispered to him, staring into the darkness. "What if I make a mistake? What if I fail?"

"You won't fail. And everyone makes mistakes. To top it off, you are one of the strongest people I know," he added. "And with all of us backing you, you can't go wrong. You aren't only my sister…you're Lirona's granddaughter, remember? I know she'll always be watching over you," he said with a smile.

Geni looked up, her eyes watering. "I miss her so much already," she said, tears finally falling from her eyes. Sora sat back down and pulled his sister into a tight hug. Geni leaned into him and cried on his shoulder, finally releasing the built up tension inside of her from losing two very near and dear members of her extended family that evening. She crushed the stone in her hand, holding onto it as her last link to her previous life.

"I know you do," Sora said gently as he squeezed her a little. She cried quietly, but Sora could feel her taking heaving breaths as she let it all out. He didn't care whether or not his shirt was going to be wet from her tears or from the rain; all that mattered is that Geni's heart had finally begun to heal as the two of them sat in the darkness of a stormy night they wouldn't ever forget.


	25. One Small Step Or A Giant Leap?

Chapter 24

After what seemed like hours, Geni had finally released all of her pent up emotions on her poor brother. At the moment they were sitting there together, Sora's protective arms still wrapped around her, as they watched the storm continue to rage outside of the cave. The lightning occasionally lit up the clearing in front of the cave, illuminating the shadowy trees in the half-light.

When it had passed half an hour and Sora had still not returned, Kairi decided to go and check up on the two of them. She found them together, with Geni still crying softly. Sora had heard Kairi's footsteps, turning to look at her. He smiled, giving her a small nod. When Kairi saw him smile, she knew that everything was going to be fine. She smiled back before carefully turning around and making her way to their warm niche in the back of the cave, thanks to Geni's magic.

_Sora does have that effect on people_, she thought with a chuckle. _No matter how sad, how angry, or how negative we might feel, he knows just what to say or do to turn our moods around and make us feel like nothing could ever go wrong. That's just what I love about him_. Kairi blushed at the thought, absentmindedly brushing some of her deep red locks behind her ear, but was happy about the twins nonetheless.

"Are they okay?" King Mickey immediately asked when he saw her appear suddenly from the darkness, his small nose crinkling.

She nodded. "I think Geni's finally accepted that tonight wasn't her fault in the least. I know what if feels like to blame yourself for the things you have no control over," she said, thinking about the time she was kidnapped by Organization XIII, forcing Sora to assault The World That Never Was blindly.

"I'll second that," Riku said knowingly from his spot on the floor. At that the moment, the four of them had been going over what kind of supplies they had left, and how they would have to ration it for their long trip if they were going to stay and help Geni.

"How's it going?" Kairi asked him as she sat down next to him, surveying their goods.

"Not too bad, but not too good either," he replied. "We haven't checked Geni's bag yet, but from what the six of us have, we have enough food and fresh water for several days if we go very sparingly on it. We also have three blankets already, but I remember seeing Geni put some into her own bag as well. Other than that, we have the potions and ethers Donald brought, and some of the information we gathered from the Library earlier today." Riku paused. "It feels so long ago that we were there…" he told them truthfully.

"A lot has happened since then," Donald quacked. "But getting back to our initial problem: we have enough supplies for three, four days at the maximum. After that, we'll either have to start scrounging for food or risk going into some town or village that we come to and see if we can barter or buy some from them. Still, it all depends on where exactly we have to go and how long it will take us to get there."

"Which leads us back to Geni," King Mickey finished. "I hate to say it, but right now the only thing we can do is try and get some sleep and start fresh in the morning. I have a feeling we need at least one night of rest before we plow straight into a mistake – which is the last thing we need right now. Where are they?" King Mickey asked Kairi, referring to the twins.

"Near the entrance to the cave," she quickly supplied.

"Good. The two of them will be able to keep watch for a while yet as long as they are there, but we had best take shifts. Anyone up for a couple of hours after them?" he asked the group.

"I'll do it," Riku quickly said.

"Good. We should probably tell them what we've decided –" King Mickey began to say before he was interrupted by Kairi.

"Why don't we wait a bit? I think the best thing for Geni is to be with Sora right now. At the moment she still seems pretty sensitive, and Sora is calming her down. I'll watch the sphere for a bit while you sleep Riku, and then I'll wake you up when it's your turn to go on watch duty. Okay?" she asked him.

"If you're sure," Riku said hesitantly.

"No problem," she replied with a smile. "Besides, I don't think I could sleep much as it is right now."

"Who could?" Donald muttered as he began to repack the bags, leaving out the blankets. "But still, we need those blankets that Geni brought. Even if that sphere is keeping the air warm, the stone floor is still freezing."

"I'll get them," Kairi offered, standing up. She walked over to Geni's large pack and pulled at a string that she thought would loosen the top. Peering inside, she was surprised to see how neatly it was packed with the amount that was actually inside of it. There were bottles of water and packages of food, mostly dried and readily edible without having to cook it or keep it cold; there was a first aid kit filled with bandages and several different types of potions; there were three more heavy duty blankets, so they were only one short; but what really caught Kairi's attention was a wooden box at the very bottom of the bag, a few inches tall but still quite large. She decided to leave it alone, figuring Geni must have had a good reason for packing it.

Carefully she pulled out the three blankets. "Here are some more," she said, offering it to the boys.

"Only three? I guess we're one short then, fellers," Goofy said, stating Kairi's previous thoughts.

"Well, since we'll usually be taking turns sleeping at night, that shouldn't be a problem unless it gets really cold," King Mickey said as he spread out one of the blankets he had brought on the ground underneath him. Goofy and Donald had each taken one of the other ones, while Riku had one of the durable blankets Geni had brought. Each of them spread it on the ground, before settling down on top of it, using their packs as pillows. "Well, I don't know how many of us will get any sleep, but wake us if you need anything Kairi," he told her.

"Thanks King Mickey. Good night everyone," she told them as she sat down on one of the blankets herself.

"Night Kairi," Riku said as he turned to face the wall.

Suddenly, a soft flapping noise was heard from the other side of the cave. Kairi turned her head and laughed quietly. Goofy was already snoring away, his long ears covering his eyes. Donald looked at him, sighing before he plopped down himself and covered his head with his backpack. Kairi thought she heard an utterance of "lucky dog" come from him before he quieted. As the noises in their part of the cave subsided, the gentle pounding of the storm could be heard once more. Kairi was grateful, for the most part, because it did sound quieter than it had earlier so she hoped it was finally abating. She watched the orb glow, feeling the tendrils of warmth radiating from it. Sighing, she closed her eyes and waited, thinking of how carefree their lives had been only two days ago – and now how they were once again confronting life-threatening evils from the darkness.

But then Kairi smiled. _Well, I guess we wouldn't be Keybearers if destiny wanted us to have safe, normal, boring lives. Never a dull moment – and I know that none of us would want it any other way._

On the other hand, Sora had been thinking the exact opposite. Yes, the storm was finally abating; the lightning and thunder had stopped, but the rain continued to fall incessantly. Geni was quiet, lulled to a half sleep by the steady and strong beat of her brother's heart. She had quietly mourned for the past two hours, grieving for the family who had been so horrendously severed from her.

Sora had felt her pain so strongly when their mental link had been reestablished, and it had taken much effort on his part not to break down along with her because of what she had conveyed through it to him. He was also surprised that the two of them still had it, considering the ceremony that had been performed earlier that night. The Queen had said that Geni's connections to everything outside of the Realm would have been severed...so wouldn't their connection have been severed as well? He didn't understand it, but really didn't want to. He also thought about the crystals that the two of them still wore. Geni had not mentioned them before, during, or after the ceremony even though Sora was still wearing his, tucked safely beneath his shirt. He didn't know about his sister; she wasn't wearing it, but she most likely had it still with her. Still, in spite of everything, Geni was a strong girl, and even with losing people precious to her, she knew she must go on for their sakes. Which is why she was still now, resting while she had the chance.

Sora was still hugging her to his chest as the two of them watched the rain fall. He could hear her breathing becoming deeper and more even, and could see that her eyes were only half open. He smiled on the outside, but inside he was seething at Donovan – the man who had taken everything away from his sister. The man he knew next to nothing about, save that he was one of the Queen's personal advisors. He felt earlier Geni's dislike for the man, and even Lirona's statement about his want for power didn't do much to sway him from the fact that the man just felt _evil_. Sora scowled, furrowing his eyebrows.

Geni felt her brother shift ever so slightly. "Sora?" she asked in a confused whisper.

He stilled immediately. "It's nothing…try and get some sleep, 'kay?" he said quietly, smiling down at her. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Today," she mumbled, pushing down on him as if he were a pillow.

"Ah, you're probably right," he said with a small chuckle.

"Hey, Sora?" Geni said, heavy lids staring into his black jacket.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for everything I said before," she murmured.

"Don't worry about it," he told her firmly. "Your emotions were talking, not you. Anyone would have been angry with what happened."

"No…I meant about not wanting your help. I don't know what I would have done if all of you hadn't come after me. I would probably be sitting in a prison cell waiting to be executed." She paused, listening to the rain. "But with all of you there, I knew I couldn't just give up…to just sit there and mourn Hisako and Lirona. In a way, the six of you saved me – thanks," she finished softly.

"Hey, what are family and friends for?" he said, giving her a squeeze. "Besides, the guy who helped us to get back to the Palace – what was his name? Oh yeah, Aldous – wanted us to send word back that everything was okay. Oops – except we left right away," he said sheepishly. Geni went still, and Sora heard a hitch in her breathing. "Geni? What's wrong?" he asked her gently.

"All of them – every single person connected to me – they'll be hurt because of me," she whispered. "I couldn't save any of them. Even Elwen – who knows if knocking her out saved her from suspicion? In the morning, everyone will know what happened and will point their fingers at me. Everyone will assume that's the truth without knowing what Donovan did." Geni tightened her grip, one hand on Sora's jacket and the other on Lirona's necklace.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Sora interrupted. "I think many of your friends will take your side. I mean, how many people would actually consider that you would hurt, let alone kill, the two people you were closest to? You might have more friends in the capital yet than you thought," he said, poking her in the side.

Geni shifted, fighting the urge not to giggle. It was hard when you wanted to cry but were forced to laugh at the same time. "Maybe you're right," she told Sora, before a loud yawn escaped from her mouth.

"Maybe you should go and get some sleep," he told his sister.

"No, I'm fine – really," she insisted, immediately sitting up. Sora let her go and watched her closely for a moment. "I'm fine, see?" she said with a smile, trying to hide the bags that were slowly forming under her tired eyes.

Sora shook his head. "No. Out of all of us, you're the one that needs the most rest. You're the one who is going to have to lead us to safety, and to a place where we can plan to exonerate your name." Geni's mouth dropped open. "What?" Sora asked, embarrassed. "Did I say something funny?"

"Is it my imagination, or did your vocabulary just randomly expand?" she asked, incredulous.

"Ha ha," he said, standing up. "I know you're tired when you start making arbitrary jokes. Go," he commanded, hauling her to her feet. Geni swayed slightly, Sora steadying her, before she nodded to him.

"Okay," she said. "Thanks again…for everything Sora."

"Hey, what are brothers for?" he grinned. "Now go." Geni gave him a quick hug before she slowly walked to the back of the cave. Now that she was up and moving, she could feel how heavy her body was and the blurriness that was creeping in at the edge of her vision. Before she put her body on automatic, she carefully replaced Lirona's necklace back into the little purse she had on her waist, caressing the stone a few times before sealing it back in. Seeing the light in the back of the cave, she was bombarded with several different sets of soft snores. As she entered the circle of light, she smiled seeing Goofy, Donald, King Mickey, and Riku fast asleep on several blankets towards the back wall. Kairi was sitting against the outer wall, her eyes closed but definitely awake.

Hearing footsteps, Kairi immediately opened her eyes to see Geni standing several feet away from her. "Geni?" she asked quietly, standing.

"Hey Kairi," she replied, smiling a little.

"How are you feeling?" the redhead asked the brunette.

"Better," Geni admitted. "But tired. I see they beat me to it, though," she said, gesturing at the others.

"I think we're all a little tired right now. Is Sora up front yet?"

Geni nodded. "He's taking the first shift of guard duty. Who's next?"  
"Riku volunteered. I'm supposed to wake him up in an hour or so, but it's hard to tell when I don't have a watch to know when sunrise is."

Geni was silent for a moment before replying. "It's about four hours away, as far as I can tell. You should get Riku up in a while so Sora can get some sleep too."

"How can you tell that?" Kairi asked, amazed.

"Internal clock. It was close to eleven when we finally left the city behind, and we traveled for another half an hour after that. We came to the cave almost two hours ago, so it's around two or three in the morning right now," Geni explained quietly as she grabbed one of the folded blankets near her pack. "I see you found the blankets I brought along."

"I went in there to get them," Kairi said apologetically as she sat back down on her own blanket.

Geni waved her off. "No big deal." She sat down on the blanket and proceeded to stretch out. "I'm going to try and get some sleep if I can. If you hear something like a bell ringing and I don't wake up right away, one of my sensory spells has detected something."

"Alright. Goodnight Geni."

"Goodnight Kairi," she replied as she laid her head down upon her pack, squishing it until it was just right. The last image Geni saw that night was of Kairi's worried face.

The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful. In a while Kairi woke up Riku who went to take Sora's place. Sora came back and both of them slept for a few hours until the sun began to rise and shafts of light pierced through the tall trees. The rain had stopped well before dawn, but the ground was very muddy and ridden with puddles. As much as many of them had wanted to, their sleep was too short and for some fitful. Geni fell within both categories; all night her mind had replayed the scene in the Audience Chamber over and over again.

"Come on Geni, wake up," a gentle voice said, piercing the haziness of her dream world.

Geni was running towards the throne for what felt like the thousandth time when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder and shake her slightly. Geni's hand immediately whipped around and caught the person by the wrist. What she was surprised to see, however, was that the person holding her shoulder was none other than Lirona, who was still lying dead at the base of the throne. "Lirona...?" Geni said quietly, her bottom lip quivering.

"No...come on Geni, wake up," Lirona told her in a gentle voice. Geni closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them again. She was lying down on her blanket yet, with her right arm hugging her pack for dear life. On the other hand, the wrist she had thought belonged to Lirona belonged to Sora, who was looking at her concernedly while he kneeled next to her. "Geni?" he asked again in a worried tone.

"Sora?" she replied as she blinked once more, immediately releasing his wrist. Geni felt wet spots on her face. Bringing her hand up, she gently touched her cheeks to find tears all over them. She brushed them away quickly as she asked Sora, "Is it morning already?"

"Yeah. Having a bad dream?" he asked her quietly.

"...Mm-hmm. Sorry about your wrist," she said, sitting up with a yawn.

"No problem. I still can't believe how fast your reflexes are when you're sleeping," he told her with a laugh.

"Practice," she told him with a shrug. She looked around the cave, seeing only the two of them and the glowing sphere she had set up the night before. "Where is everybody?"

"Near the front of the cave. We all decided that out of all of us, you could use a little extra sleep."

"What?! What time is it?" Geni said, jumping to her feet.

"Don't worry," Sora told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's only been an hour or so since the sun has risen. We were just eating a light breakfast when we thought that we had better come and wake you up."

"Oh, that's all? Well, I think I'll plan on walking and eating at the same time. We really do have a long ways to go until we rest tonight." Geni picked up her blanket and rolled it up, placing it in her pack which she then slung on her back.

"Speaking of which..." Sora said, turning to face the front of the cave. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To where some old friends of mine live," she told him as she went to the glowing orb. Touching it gently, she reabsorbed what was left of the magic in it and the cave immediately darkened. Straightening, she walked back to where Sora was standing, his silhouette slightly outlined from the little light penetrating into the back of the cave. "I'll tell you more when I tell everyone else."

"Okay," Sora said. "Let's go then." The twins walked back through the uneven path, the bright circle of light becoming larger and larger until the two of them emerged into a brilliant sunny morning. Even though the ground was very muddy, the enormous trees surrounding them stood tall and proud, their leaves dripping like a second shower. Each tree was easily several hundred feet tall, and at least fifty feet around the trunk. On some rocks next to the cave sat the rest of the group, eating a frugal breakfast.

"G'morning!" Goofy said brightly when he saw the two of them come out. "Nice of you to join us! Want some grub?" he said, holding out what looked like a granola bar.

"Not yet, thanks," Geni said, eying the rest of the group. "Any problems?" she said, tilting her head towards the forest.

Kairi shook her head. "It's been quiet all night and this morning so far," she told her.

"It probably won't be for long. As long as it was raining, we had pretty good covering for our tracks. But now that the sun is out, the Guards will be starting a search within the city. When they don't find us, however, they'll begin expanding outside of the city if they haven't done it already," she told them, sitting down on a rock.

"Could they track us easily?" Sora asked her, sitting down next to her with the granola bar from Goofy.

"Maybe...I cleared away the excess magic I used in getting here last night, but until we leave and I take down my sensory spells, there's still a chance of them tracking it. We should leave as soon as we possibly can," she told them straight out.

"Where to?" Donald pointed out.

Geni looked down at her feet. "I can only give you the barest details because I'm bound by silence not to give away the route. However, we'll have to head south towards the mountain range known as the Beast's Rest and cross over it. I figure it will take us at least one or two days of continuous walking to reach the mountains, and then at least another day to cross them if we stick to the narrowest part of them. After that, it will be another day or so to reach our final destination."

"We'll have to cross the mountains?!" Donald quacked indignantly. "I'm sorry, but when we left in such a hurry last night you conveniently forget to mention to us to pack our parkas!"

Geni was silent. "I'm sorry Donald, but it's the only way. And besides, I've heard that there are some tunnels within the mountains. Maybe if we can find one, it will take us directly through them to the other side without having to go through the snow. Still...there aren't many people that traverse the mountains – many take the easier routes of going around them by river or above them. Except for the general map I have in my head, I really don't know what the mountains will be like until we get there."

"Well, as long as you won't lead us in circles," Sora said with a laugh.

"Thanks for that vote of confidence Sora," Geni muttered, standing up. "Either way, let's get going. The trees will provide us with plenty of cover until we reach the mountains, so we should be fairly safe if we stay well out of any populated areas."

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Lets –" King Mickey said, until an abrupt ringing of a bell quieted him. Geni stiffened, closing her eyes and immediately feeling outwards with her magic. Everyone watched her closely, until her shoulders relaxed and she opened her eyes once more. "False alarm – just some big animals," she said with a tight smile. "Still, let's hurry and go. Grab your stuff and I'll disable the spells." Geni walked towards the forest leaving the others to quickly pack their things. She went and spread her palms on each of the large trees, the bark glowing softly as the magic given to them was taken back. "Thank you," Geni whispered to each of them as if they were intelligent creatures. "Please keep us safe on our journey, and keep our pursuers from finding us," she told them quietly as she leaned her forehead onto each tree. After finishing with all four trees, she went back to where her friends were standing. "Ready?" she asked them.

"All set," Sora told her, adjusting the straps on his pack.

Geni stood in front of the six of them for a moment, biting her lip. Six pairs of eyes gazed at her with expectancy. "This is the last time I'll ask all of you. Are you sure you want to stay and help? It isn't going to be easy, and you might get hurt. I can still send you back to the castle today yet, and –"

"Forget it," King Mickey said, coming forward to look up at her. "This isn't your fight anymore – it's all of ours. The legend of the Keybearers is somehow tied in with all of this...I'm sure of it. I believe if we can figure out what that Donovan's motives are, he'll lead us to the wielder of darkness that we're searching for. I have this feeling that whoever that is, that they are the one behind this mess. So no more of this. We're coming with you whether you like it or not," he told her firmly.

Geni's eyes flashed with an unknown emotion, but no one noticed it. "And all of you agree with him?" she said, looking at each of them in turn.

"Will you quit asking us that?" Riku finally said, giving her a pointed look. "All of us are going to help you and we won't take no for an answer. Got it?" he said, looking her in the eye. Geni slowly looked over, seeing in those aquamarine depths she had so often stared into, that he was telling the truth; however, even underneath that she saw an apologetic look to him.

She nodded, tightening her lips. "Alright, let's go. Follow me – we'll try not to stop until this afternoon if possible." And with that, Geni began walking to the south, following the sheer cliff. The six of them quickly fell in line behind her, and they began their long trek in silence, only the occasional chatter of birds breaking the calm.

Now...I won't go into much detail of the time they spent walking. Not that much happened anyway, so to speak. That morning the awe of the enormous trees quickly gave way to annoyance because some of them were so big that having to walk around them was troublesome. The forest floor consisted of a mixture of grass and shrubs, and the occasional large rock. It was also quite flat; the barely noticeable hills had been devoured by the trees. The only creatures in the forest were birds and small animals, but at one point Kairi swore she had spotted something large and hairy following them. Even though they stopped and Geni went to investigate, she came back saying there were no traces of any humans or animals following them. And so went their uneventful trek until they stopped in the early part of the afternoon for a rest.

"My feet!" Kairi said, plopping down onto a flat stone. "I don't think I've ever done that much walking ever!"

"Well, we've only gone about ten miles or so," Geni told her. "There is still a long way to go until we reach the mountains."

"How far from the capital are these mountains?" Sora asked her, sitting down on a dry spot in the grass. The canopy high above them was so thick at this point that only a small shaft of light every hundred feet or so pierced through the artificial twilight. The rest of the group had each staked out a small rock or dry spot of ground and were digging out some snacks or water. The air was warm, but a cool breeze continued to flow between the trees, keeping the day sunny and pleasant.

"Well...from the outermost point of the capital itself to the base of the mountains...I think it was around fifty miles or so. The mountain range itself spans several hundred miles in each direction, but straight through it is about ten miles or so."

"So we still have another forty miles until we get to the base of the mountains?" Kairi said to her, shock on her face.

Geni nodded. "Not bad for only hiking for six hours, huh?"

"I'm never going to make it!" Kairi said dramatically, holding the back or her hand to her forehead.

"Well, then Sora can carry you," Geni said, standing up. "I'll be right back – I thought I heard a stream somewhere around here. I want to go wash up."

"Don't go too far," King Mickey advised her.

"I won't," she promised, dumping her pack on the ground. "I'll be back in a few minutes or so. And if the stream is good enough, I'll come back and fill up some of the bottles from it." And with that, she walked off into the forest, disappearing behind several trees.

Everyone was sitting, resting their feet from the sheer amount of walking they had done. Even Sora, Donald, and Goofy when running around the worlds had never done this much in one go. At that point, Sora was very grateful that all of the worlds he had visited had their distinct landmarks very close to each other, and that the Heartless infestations weren't widespread on each world.

The going hadn't been very rough, but the hardest part was when they had hit patches of mud. It was sticky and thick, and clung to everything it touched. So naturally everyone's shoes were covered with the filth. Donald, being barefoot, got the worst of it with mud sticking in between his webbed toes. As they got out some water and food for their lunch, Kairi found a stick and began to try and pry the hardened mud off of the sides and underside of her purple sneakers.

"Having fun?" Sora asked her, watching and trying not to laugh.

Kairi looked up and sighed, before noticing how clean at least the sides and tops of Sora's shoes were. "How come your shoes are so clean?" she whined.

"Well, the clothes are magic," Riku countered from his spot across the way, watching his two friends with interest.

"Next time we come across some fairies, I swear I am going to get them to at least enchant my shoes," Kairi said with gritted teeth, renewing her attack upon the mud.

"Why don't you go and wash them off?" Sora suggested to her. "Geni went to find that stream – since she isn't back yet she must have found one – and I'm sure it isn't far away."

"That is the first good idea you've had all day Sora," Kairi said as she stood up. Walking past him, she swatted his spikes. Sora grinned up at her before returning to his sandwich. Kairi followed the footprints she could see in the wet earth, and before long she was out of sight of her friends. On the other hand, she could clearly hear the sound of running water. As she followed Geni's footprints for another five minutes or so, she suddenly came upon a small burbling stream running through the trees. It was as clear as glass, and she could see straight through to the bottom, which was only about two feet down.

Kairi looked to her left and right before she spotted Geni a ways down from her. She was kneeling on the bank, her face near the water as she scrubbed at it. Finishing, she splashed some water on her face and used her blue embroidered skirt to pat herself dry. It was at that point she noticed Kairi standing there. "Come to wash up?" she called. "The water is clear and there isn't anything bad in it."

Kairi walked over to her. "I can see that, but are you sure? What about germs and such? Those are too tiny to see."

She shook her head. "You don't have to worry about those. Follow me," Geni said to her. She put her finger up to her lips and turned around. Kairi silently followed her along the river, until they reached a large clearing in the middle of the woods where the sun could penetrate through the treetops. In the clearing was a huge meadow of tall grasses and wildflowers, and in the middle resting peacefully was what appeared to be a white horse. Its back was facing them as it looked out upon the terrain, but after Kairi accidentally stepped on a twig and snapped it in half, the horse turned towards them and Kairi's breath caught in her throat. A magnificent golden horn sprouted in the middle of the horse's forehead, marking it as a legendary and mythical beast: the unicorn.

"A unicorn," Kairi said, stating the obvious in her disbelief.

"Mmm-hmmm. It must have been separated from his glory during the last full moon," Geni said, walking up to it very slowly. She had one hand stretched out towards it in a gentle manner. The unicorn stood up and immediately whinnied softly when she got very close, stepping away from her. "Don't worry…I won't hurt you," she murmured softly. She stopped walking towards it but kept her hand out. After a moment, the unicorn took one cautious step forward. It brought its nose down to Geni's hand for a quaint sniff, before it nuzzled her gently. "That's a boy, good boy," Geni told the unicorn as she brought her other hand up and began to rub his long nose. The unicorn made small noises that could have been related to a cat purring.

"That's amazing," Kairi told her breathlessly.

"Come on over – he's friendly," Geni called. Kairi walked slowly and with caution towards the unicorn, but it never once flinched and it eagerly began to investigate her as well when she had reached the two of them. "Hey, that tickles," Kairi giggled as the unicorn blew a great burst of air out of his nostrils and into her hair. "It's unimaginable – a real live unicorn, and I'm petting it!"

"Unicorns used to be hunted for their horns, and still are in parts of the universe – at least if you can find them. There used to be millions of them, spread throughout the cosmos to protect the young and innocent."

"Young and innocent?" Kairi asked, turning towards her as she rubbed the unicorn's soft neck.

"Well…you could say virgins," Geni told her with a slight blush. Kairi blushed just as much, making them both laugh. "Male unicorns protect young girls, while female unicorns protect young boys. They're also one of the most intelligent creatures you'll find; even though they can't talk, they can understand speech perfectly." To help make this point, the unicorn whinnied softly and raised his head up and down in agreement. "So what are you doing all the way out here anyway? Are you lost?" she asked the unicorn.

He looked Geni in the eye, as if to say _Who? Me? Lost? You must be confusing me with some other dashing creature._

"Alright…well, if you aren't lost, why aren't you with the rest of your glory? Are they around here at all?" The unicorn shook his head. "They aren't here? Were hunters after you?" Geni said, a hint of anger in her voice. The unicorn once again shook his head, and Geni smiled. "So, your glory isn't here, and you weren't being hunted. Are you just out to have fun?" The unicorn whinnied loudly and stamped his feet while shaking his large head up and down.

"So nothing is wrong?" Kairi asked, smiling at how playful the unicorn was.

"Nothing that I can see. It does happen that sometimes the younger unicorns like to go and take trips to random worlds to have fun at times, but usually they go in their own glories to protect themselves at least." Geni turned and stared at the unicorn, looking him directly in the eyes. "Next time use the buddy system, okay? It would be a tragedy if you weren't around anymore." The unicorn bowed his head low, as if apologizing. "Apology accepted," Geni said with a grin.

"Hey Geni?" Kairi said, interrupting the picture perfect moment.

"What's up?"

"I keep hearing you refer to a 'glory.' What is it?" she asked her.

"A 'glory' is the term for a herd of unicorns," Geni explained. "Like a gaggle of geese, a pack of wolves, or a pod of dolphins. I think it's one of my favorite words ever since I learned about it back in school," Geni said with a contented sigh.

Just then, the unicorn flattened his ears back and stepped in front of the two girls, his eyes darting upwards into the blue sky high above them. "Geni –?" Kairi managed to say as she tried turning around, but before she could Geni clamped her hand over her mouth and crouched down into the tall grass and flowers. Both she and the unicorn had their eyes glued to the sky.

It was at that point Kairi heard a soft, almost imperceptible rumble. A whirring, mechanical noise hummed somewhere in the distance but was quickly getting much louder. As it did, the unicorn whinnied softly and began to walk slowly towards the edge of the meadow. Geni crept along with him, keeping Kairi silent even though she was bursting to ask why they were doing so – however, considering what had happened the day before, she wasn't going to question the girl's actions.

Just as the trio reached the stream hidden under the trees, the whirring grew to its loudest, making many birds screech from their nests and take to the sky. Once they were safely hidden under the trees, Geni took her hand from Kairi's mouth, but put her finger to her lips. Then, she pointed to the opening in the trees. As Kairi bent to look, an amazing sight completely filled the sky above them.

An enormous flying ship crowded the skies. The hull was made of a shiny dark blue metal, but the sides and the top of it had metal poles that extended so cloth sails could catch the wind easier. There were three on each side, and one very long sail along the top of the ship. At the end of the ship several enormous spinning propellers were propelling the ship through the sky. What worried Kairi, however, was that even from their hiding spot, she could see that the deck on the very top of the ship held many people who were looking over the sides and down into the forest. "Search party," Geni whispered. The unicorn neighed softly in agreement. Ever so slowly, the ship made its way past them, heading north in the direction towards the capital.

As soon as the whirring and humming of the ship's engines had died down, Geni slowly got to her feet, Kairi doing the same. Geni rubbed the side of the unicorn. "Thank you for saving us," she told him gratefully. "We probably would have been spotted if it wasn't for those spectacular ears of yours." She walked forward and scratched the large appendages. The unicorn whinnied at her playfully, tossing his gleaming mane.

"Were they looking for us?" Kairi asked quietly.

Geni looked down into the shiny fur coat of their new friend, hiding the fear in her eyes. "Not unless there are more fugitives hiding in the woods with us," she told her. "We should get back to the others – they'll probably be worried, but hopefully they at least had the common sense to hide."

"I'm sure Riku and King Mickey did," Kairi told her. "Let's go…and thank you again for helping us," she told the unicorn as she patted his nose one last time. The unicorn tossed his head, before suddenly dipping down one of his knees so he was kneeling.

"Really?" Geni said to him. "Are you sure?" The unicorn snorted in reply.

"What?" Kairi asked. "Is something wrong with his leg?"

Geni shook her head. "No – he wants us to ride him!"

"Really?" she said excitedly, clapping her hands together.

"It is an extreme honor to ride a unicorn. However, it also means something greater – unicorn magic can never be erased from our beings."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked her.

"It means that a part of this unicorn will always be with us; for one thing, if we're ever in trouble again, he'll be able to sense it no matter where he is and he will come to our aid if we call him." Geni turned to him. "It is a great honor," she told him, bowing.

The unicorn whinnied, dipping his head and horn as if bowing to her as well and also as if saying _Thanks, but could you two please hurry up?_

"Of course. Let's go Kairi – I'll get on and pull you up, okay?" Geni walked over and without a second thought leapt onto the unicorn's back. She settled herself before she held out a hand to Kairi. Kairi quickly walked up and grabbed Geni's hand. Maybe not as gracefully, but just as quickly Geni hauled her up and Kairi was sitting beside her. The unicorn stood up slowly so as not to jostle his riders.

"Whoa," Kairi said, hugging Geni. The unicorn's back had still been at least five feet off of the ground when he was kneeling, but now it stood at least seven feet tall from his hooves to his head.

"Hang on," Geni said before she patted the unicorn's neck. "Let's go!"

The unicorn immediately took off at a blinding pace, jumping over the small creek with ease. Geni had her hands curled within his mane, while Kairi held onto her middle. The two girls laughed despite the situation as the unicorn dashed and leapt, a white flash of lightning in the forest of green. To ride a unicorn, as anyone who ever has knows, is to feel pure freedom. You can do anything, be anyone; you can reach for the moon and grasp it in your palm. It is complete freedom from the mortal universe.

Like the girls, the five males of their group had hidden themselves under the roots of a large tree when they had heard the engines flying overhead. It was just then that they carefully ventured out, wondering what it could have been. "It sounded like some kind of ship…but nothing like a gummi ship," Donald stated.

"With this tree cover, we couldn't see what it was even if we wanted to. I suppose though, that that meant whoever it was couldn't see us either," King Mickey supplied.

"Well, hopefully they didn't spot Kairi or Geni either," Sora said, looking off into the forest. "I wonder what's taking so long."

"If they were hiding like we were –" Riku began, but at that moment he spotted a white flash coming towards them at a blinding pace. "Look out!" he shouted as he deployed his Keyblade. Sora and King Mickey did likewise, with Donald taking out his staff and Goofy his faithful shield.

Suddenly, a dazzling white horse landed gracefully in the clearing, with the two missing girls upon its back. "Sora –!" Kairi began to shout. However, seeing the weapons displayed, the unicorn whinnied loudly and reared its front legs. Geni and Kairi held on for dear life, not wanting to fall and possibly hurt themselves badly. Still, Kairi found her grip slipping and she fell off of the unicorn's rump, falling on her own. "Ow," she said with a wince, rubbing her sore bottom. Now her rear end had mud on it, not just her shoes. She groaned in frustration.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, running up to her and standing between her and the unicorn. "Stay back!"

"Sora no! He's not an enemy!" Kairi yelled, stumbling to her feet and grabbing his arm.

"What?" Sora asked her, confused.

"He's a unicorn! Look at his forehead!"

Sora turned and saw what he thought was a white horse prancing while it tried to find a way open. He bowed his head up and down as he used his now apparent horn as a way to keep the males distance from him. Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were trying to get Geni to get off while she was trying to tell them that he wasn't a danger to them. With all of the shouting going on, nobody heard each other and so there was mass confusion.

Riku at one point tried running in between the unicorns deadly hooves, trying to reach out to Geni. "Let her go!" he said angrily as he clutched The Way to the Dawn even tighter, swinging it in their direction. While doing this, the unicorn looked at the tall human boy, peering into his eyes. As they say, the eyes are the window to the soul – and the unicorn saw very clearly what was within him. It was at that point the unicorn decided to jump over the circle they had made around him. As he hunched his rear legs, his powerful leg muscles sent him flying clear over the heads of everyone present and allowing him to dash off into the forest. Geni dug her fists even more into his mane, hugging her body to his. With her light brown clothing, she looked like a saddle sitting upon his back more than his rider.

"Geni!" King Mickey yelled. "We've got to save her!"

"On it!" Donald shouted, and quickly prepared a spell. "Thun-"

"Donald! No, wait!" Sora shouted, running over to him.

"-daga!" he finished, several enormous bolts of lightning striking the area around the unicorn's path to freedom. As it turned and twisted to get out of the way of the lightning, one bolt landed directly in front of him. The unicorn, frightened, bucked to stop himself and accidentally sent Geni flying off of his back – at least fifteen feet into the air! She didn't have time to prepare a spell for a soft landing, so shut her eyes tight and hoped for the best.

_Crunch!_ Geni's back hit one of the large trees with great force, forcing all of the air out of her lungs and making her fall like a sack of potatoes. To make matters worse, when she fell to the ground she smacked the side of her head on one of the trees roots, if not giving her a concussion then cracking her skull. Geni landed with a thump at the base of the tree, her arms and legs splayed out, her head lolling upon her chest. She lay silent and unmoving, the second time within days.

"Geni!" Sora cried out, running towards her. As he dashed towards her, the unicorn beat him to her and he stood with his front legs splayed out, his horn pointing dangerously at him. He made guttural noises in his throat, warning the small human boy to stay away from the hurt girl. "Get out of my way!" Sora demanded.

"Sora, stay back! He won't hurt her!" Kairi shouted once again as she ran up with the rest of the group, having explained to them the situation. Dumbfounded at first, all four of them had suddenly realized all at the same what they had been about to do and felt very ashamed of themselves. "Put away your Keyblade!" she told him firmly.

"But Geni…" Sora said, looking over to where his sister lay. Her face was turned away from him, and he had a gut feeling that something was very wrong. He shook his head, reabsorbing his Keyblade back into himself. Once the six of them were disarmed, Kairi slowly walked towards the unicorn as she had seen Geni do before, holding her hand out to him.

"It's alright…we're friends, remember?" she told him gently. The unicorn looked them over, before he finally stood back up to his full height. Kairi thought that he had settled, and so took several more steps forward. The unicorn neighed loudly, stepping in front of her path. Kairi immediately stopped, frightened. Once she had stopped, the unicorn tossed his head, and pranced back to where Geni lay next to the tree.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, her temple had a large gash running down the side of it, with blood still flowing freely from it as her heart continued to beat. The blood had already run down her neck and was beginning to stain her asymmetrical top. She had several other smaller cuts and bruises, breathing very shallowly from when she had collided with the tree. Her poor clothes were stained with blood and mud, scratches and tears in the once immaculate uniform. The unicorn bent its knees so it could kneel next to Geni. As he gently folded his front legs underneath him, he whinnied softly and bent his head down. The unicorn brought his horn to the side of Geni's head and placed his horn within the cut itself, causing a small amount of her blood to stain the shining golden tip. A soft light matching the hue of his horn flooded the wound, and when it receded the cut was gone as well as all of the blood. To top that, the rest of her bruises and cuts were gone too, and she was breathing deeply and easily. The unicorn slowly withdrew his horn, looking as satisfied as he could with his long face.

At this point, Geni was swimming somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. _What's going on?_ she thought to herself. _Why is it so dark here?_

_You have been healed, little princess – now awaken_, a rich, velvety voice told her.

Geni opened her eyes to find herself staring into large golden pupils which were sitting upon a long white face. _Who are you?_ she asked.

_You do not remember me?_

It suddenly clicked. _The unicorn! You healed me? Thank you,_ Geni said, dipping her head. She then suddenly looked around, seeing no one else in the forest with them. _Where is everyone?_

_We are not in the forest, little princess. We are speaking mind-to-mind right now_¸ the unicorn told her.

Geni blinked once; she was about to open her mouth and say something, but then changed her mind. _You have telepathy?_ she asked him incredulously by thinking it.

_Only to those who have bonded with me through the use of my horn. But little princess, what are you doing so far from your home with the other humans?_

Geni was silent. _Queen Hisako has passed away_, she told him simply.

_Ah-ha. So it is beginning._

_It is_, Geni agreed. _You should leave, and tell your brethren to stay away from the Realm until it has passed._

_As if anyone, even another unicorn, could tell another unicorn to do anything but what they themselves wish to do? Little princess, you ask the impossible._ The unicorn whinnied in laughter._ But I will consider your words. However, please do not hesitate to call upon me if you ever need help_.

_I will_, Geni promised. The unicorn immediately sagged to the ground. _Are you alright?_ she asked him in a worried tone. She didn't know a lot about unicorns, unless you count reading fantastical bedtime stories about them, and the myths and legends about them from different worlds.

_I will be in a few moments – it takes a lot of magic to heal._ He quirked his large head to the side. _That boy seems to act strange when you are around…the one with the hair the color of moonlight._

_Riku?_ she said. She shook her head. _Maybe before, but now_…

_The prince,_ the unicorn stated plainly. _You have feelings for both of them, however._ Geni's head shot up to look at him. Suddenly, the unicorn looked her straight in the eye. She stared into the golden depths, losing herself in their radiance. The unicorn once again read Geni's own soul, seeing what she could not. _You have been chosen, and so must take up the duty assigned to you. Do not blame others for your ignorance, and do not let others' ignorance be your shield. What will you do now?_ And with that, the unicorn was silent. He turned his head away from her, and bent down to take a bite of the grass in front of him as Geni's vision suddenly went dark.

Geni suddenly felt something wet on her cheek, and she squinted first before she slowly opened her eyes, blinking in the bright daylight. The unicorn was nuzzling her cheek with his large wet nose, pushing her head to the side. "That tickles," Geni mumbled.

"Geni!" Geni slowly turned her face towards the sound. She first saw Sora and Kairi standing a short distance away from her, followed by the other four behind them. All of them had worried looks on their faces.

"Hey Sora," she said quietly with a small grin, bringing her arm up to wave at him. She winced; her chest was exceedingly sore yet, even after the healing the unicorn had given her.

Not caring about the potentially dangerous animal, Sora ran from Kairi's side and almost collided into the tree in his run towards his sister. He enveloped her in a huge hug, eying the unicorn who had just saved his sister's life and which he knew was no longer and never was a threat to them. "Thank you," he mouthed to the unicorn. The unicorn, in complete understanding, nodded back to him, shaking his mane. "Are you alright?" he asked Geni, not letting her go.

"I'm fine Sora – just a little winded," she told him, her voice oddly muted. "But it would help if I could breathe a little."

"Whoops, sorry," he told her, immediately pulling away. Geni took as deep of a breath as she could managed, only wincing a little. "Does it hurt?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing.

"Just a little. It's nothing – I should be able to walk it off," she told him as she tried to stand up. Sora stood up with her, and she smiled at him. "See? I'm fine now. And I think we should really get going considering the search party we saw a little while ago."

"Is that what that ship of people was?" he asked her.

Geni nodded. "I didn't think they would be searching through the forests already, but they must know me better than I thought. We should try and cover as much distance as possible before we rest tonight." She turned around to face the unicorn. "You should go too," she added quietly.

The male unicorn whinnied before standing back up to his full height. He looked at the other group before his gaze came to rest upon the twins standing before him. _Remember my words, little princess_, he said to Geni.

_I will_, she told him. The unicorn trumpeted loudly before turning hoof and dashing off through the trees. Geni sadly watched him go; it wasn't often that you met a unicorn in these current times because of their learned timidity of humans. _Goodbye, and thank you_, she mentally called after him.

Sora watched his sister, noting her longing eyes as she followed the unicorn until his luminously white coat shone no more within the trees. "Ready?" he asked her quietly.

"Yeah," she replied, blinking and turning back towards the rest of the group. The two of them walked up to them silently.

King Mickey was the first to speak. "We didn't know," he told her apologetically.

Geni shook her head. "You wouldn't have. Until Kairi told you, you only saw a white horse, did you not? You couldn't see his horn."

"But why not?" Sora interjected. "Why could only you and Kairi see him as he was, but we could only see him after you told us the truth?"

"Because he was protecting not just us but himself," Geni told him. "Sora…there aren't many unicorns left. For thousands of years unicorns have been hunted for the magic they possess within that horn…to the point that the unicorn has become nothing more than legend on many worlds. Even today there are still people who would hunt them down and kill them for that promised power."

"That's terrible, a-hyuk," Goofy said, sniffing.

"Which is why you must never tell anyone about him," Geni finished firmly. "Even speaking about him will put him and the other unicorns in danger."

"We won't," Kairi promised her. "Still..."

"It's something you'll always remember," Sora said, interrupting the girls. "Now, how about that enormous ship…?" he said suggestively.

"Right," Geni said, pulling herself out of her temporary thought derailment. "Let's get going. We'll fill up the water bottles at the stream Kairi and I were at, and then keep going. Grab your stuff guys." All seven of them hurriedly gathered their things. As Geni walked over to get her own back, she turned to find Riku watching her with an odd expression, his hand momentarily resting above his bag with a bottle of water in it. "What is it Riku?" she asked him, cocking her head to the side.

Riku jumped slightly, shoving his hand into his bag. "N-nothing. We should hurry and get going before another one of those ships comes by," he said bluntly as he made himself busy.

Geni looked down at the ground. "…You're right." She turned around and finished repacking. Quickly gathering her things, she walked back to the center of the group and waited for everyone else to finish. While she waited, she took in several deep breaths, hoping that everyone did not hear the pounding of her heart. _I was way off,_ she thought to herself. _I assumed they wouldn't be sending out search parties until tonight, not this morning. I was right – someone who knows me all too well is leading the search. They knew I wouldn't have stayed in the city…unless I had been alone. That means we'll have to get to the mountains by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I've heard that the storms there are treacherous, to say the least. If we get caught in one, I don't think all of us combined have enough power to last through it without decent shelter. And like Donald said, we don't have any protective gear – and there isn't anyplace to get any either. Magic will have to suffice, as well as the blankets we have._

"Geni?" Geni blinked, looking up. All six of her friends were ready and waiting for her to lead them…_but to what?_ she thought to herself. "Time to go," Sora added gently and with a reassuring smile.

Geni adjusted her backpack. "No more stopping until the sun goes down," she told them. There were a few good natured groans, but nothing to horrible. "Sorry – we've got to hurry now that they're looking for us."

"Will they be able to find us easily?" King Mickey asked her.

She shook her head. "Not unless we aren't careful. This forest is good at hiding what should be hidden…" Geni paused, looking up at the large tree to her left and smiling a little. "…and will protect us as long as we protect it."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, looking confused.

"This forest is alive, in many more ways than one. These trees are so old that they've developed a sort of consciousness; they know when there are friends and when there are enemies in their forest. They will protect their friends, and defend against enemies. If we treat the forest as such, it will return the favor to us as long as we are beneath its boughs."

"Yet another friend," Sora said, smiling.

Geni heard the hidden meaning, smiling back at him. "Yes…many friends." Geni turned around, facing south towards their destination. "I suppose I should be more grateful for them, shouldn't I?" she said quietly into the air in front of her. As if in response, a strong breeze blew past them, picking up her braid and waving it like a banner next to her. She turned her head to face them, her ocean blue eyes blazing with a new resolve. "Let's go…everyone."

And so their journey continued.


	26. Another Sleepless Night

Chapter 25

The sun was finishing its daily journey through the sky, leaving little light to show the way through the ancient forest. Twilight had come hours ago to the group, causing several of them to continuously stumble over hidden roots or stones. Since the search party ship had crossed their path earlier in the afternoon, they had almost doubled their pace, each noise causing them to freeze in silence lest they be found.

The one leading them was especially on end. Geni's fears had been mounting all day, from worrying about the people she had left behind, to the people she was leading now, and to the people she was hoping to meet with within the next few days. Of course, she had kept these musings to herself, not wanting to worry everyone more than they already were. Sora had kept trying to cheer her up by telling her jokes – mostly bad ones. Donald and Goofy even joined in and they attempted a Three Stooges act on her. Of course it made her chuckle and smile – who couldn't when they were acting so silly? Even Riku had laughed at them. However, despite their best intentions, Geni's stomach twisted more and more with every passing mile.

Back in the present time...the sun was almost completely set, and the woods were beginning to come alive with its nocturnal inhabitants. Kairi had been inching ever closer to Sora as she heard frogs croaking and crickets chirping, sounds she had never really heard before while living on the islands. Suddenly, a very loud _hoot!_ was heard directly above her, and she practically jumped into Sora's arms.

"What was that?!" she cried, clinging to him, searching around frantically.

"Calm down Kairi," Geni said, stopping and turning around. "It was just an owl. He only eats mice and very small animals, so you don't have to worry about him."

"Tell that to his stomach!" Kairi retorted, but loosened her grip on Sora.

"I think this might be a good time to stop," Sora suggested, smiling. "Besides, it's getting way too dark to continue anyway."

Geni looked out into the night. "You're probably right." She turned around and peered in front of her, looking for something. She nodded to herself, finding what she was looking for. Turning back around, she said, "There is a very large tree not too far from here where we'll stop for the night. The roots under the tree have created a small clearing underneath it where we can sleep. Follow me."

Geni lead the six of them only one hundred feet or so before an enormous shadow loomed in front of them. "Over here," Geni called softly, moving to the right of the shadow. As they came closer, the large shadow turned out to be the roots of the tree, which had curled out and then under the tree until they finally took root a ways away from it. The tree was the largest they had seen by far, but much of it was covered in darkness so they could not tell how large or how tall it actually was. Before any of them could ponder on it, Geni slipped down in between two of the roots and disappeared.

"Geni?" Sora called.

Her head suddenly appeared out of the darkness. "This way – and watch your step." Her head popped back inside, leaving only the small shuffling noises she was making the only sign that she hadn't left them completely.

"...Well, let's go, I suppose," Sora said with a shrug. He gently pulled Kairi by the hand and entered the dark opening between the roots. With one hand on the wall of the tunnel and the other being clutched to death by Kairi, Sora slowly found his footing down the small hill leading underneath the tree. It was unnerving not to be able to see anything in front of him, but Sora trusted Geni. So did everyone else, apparently, because Sora could hear several other pairs of feet and hands scraping on the walls as the rest of them entered the tunnel.

Even though his footing only slipped once, in mere moments Sora's feet had touched solid ground. However...there was still pitch black darkness all around him, and he couldn't hear anything or anyone moving around. "Geni?" he called quietly.

"What?"

Sora yelped, jumping several feet into the air, also causing Kairi to shriek. Geni had been standing just to the left of the entrance waiting for them, so she had literally answered him right in his ear. As she laughed at him, Sora quickly regained his composure. "Don't do that!" he admonished her, facing where her voice had come from. "Especially when I can't see you!"

"Come on – it's not everyday I can pull anything over on you," she said with a small laugh. "Sorry – here's some light." A small orb of light suddenly formed in the darkness, illuminated Geni's hands and midsection where she held it. The sphere cast moving shadows across her face, giving it the appearance of a living skeleton. "Everybody in?"

"I think so," King Mickey called out as he came out of the tunnel. He did a quick head check, seeing four humans and three anthropomorphic animals. "Yes, all here."

"Good." Geni spread her hands a little further apart, causing the sphere of light to grow and illuminate more of the hidden space. All the seven of them could see were tangles of enormous roots growing all around them, creating a living wall underneath the tree. Of course, the area was smaller than the cave they had used the night before, meaning that everyone would literally be sleeping on top of one another. "We'll camp here for the night, and then head out at first light again. At least you all can get a full night's sleep tonight."

"What about watch duty?" Kairi said, speaking to all of them.

"Whelp, definitely not any of your four," King Mickey said, taking charge. "The three of us will take turns tonight so you can all sleep, considering how late all of you stayed up last night."

"But –" Sora began.

"No buts Sora," King Mickey said sternly. "You and Riku both took watch last night, and both Kairi and Geni were up late as it is. I'll take the first watch, followed by Donald, and then Goofy can finish up just before morning. How does that sound?" he said, turning to his friends.

"Sounds good to me, a-hyuk," Goofy said, yawning.

"That's a good plan, your majesty," Donald added.

"Then it's settled. A quick meal, and then bed for everyone," King Mickey said decidedly.

"Yes sir!" Sora said, saluting.

King Mickey gave him a weak glare, but mostly everyone just laughed. "I'll be taking my leave then."

"Wait a moment King Mickey," Geni said as she set her pack down. "Let me put up my safety spells again before you go out. It will only take a few minutes."

"Alright then. I'll wait for you to come back," he told her.

Geni nodded. "I will only be a few minutes," she called to them as she jogged to the opening in the roots and back up out into the night. Once outside, she took in a deep but shaky breath of the cool nighttime air. _Come on...keep it together_, she mentally told herself. She shook her head fiercely, forcing herself to keep focused. Once a little calmer, Geni drew some magic into her index finger and closing her eyes, she tapped each lid once before opening them. Now the forest was clothed in a brighter shade of gray, allowing Geni to see her surroundings like she could as if she had been wearing night vision goggles.

Walking around the enormous tree, she chose five distinct trees that covered the perimeter and placed her spells upon them as she had done the night before. As the magic drained away from her, Geni felt how tired she actually was. That afternoon the group had pushed on so much that they had covered another fifteen miles or so before they had stopped here, leaving only a grand total of twenty-five miles left to go until they reached the beginning of the Beast's Rest. Amazingly they had covered half the distance of it – on foot to top it off – in only one day. She had assumed it would have taken them at least four days to make it to the mountains, but seeing as how determined her friends were she thought it would now take less than three days.

_Which is good, considering we didn't have that much food to begin with. But still...what about crossing the mountains? At this time of year there are bound to be snowstorms around the peaks, and if they drift down it means we'll be heading into really bad weather._ Geni had been walking back towards the room underneath the roots when she suddenly paused, a lump forming in her throat. _Lirona...told me that there is a hidden passage through the mountains...but to get there we must climb at least halfway or more up the tallest peak of the Beast's Rest itself: the Mount of Ease. Easier said than done...and who names these places anyway?!_ she finished with a huff. She stopped just outside of the entrance down into the hidden chamber. Soft voices drifted out; she could hear several of them talking about food (probably Sora, Donald, and Goofy Geni thought with a smile), but she also heard two worried voices coming from close to the exit.

"...which is why I'm beginning to think that there must be something else we can do," Riku said to King Mickey. "I mean...we don't even really know where we're going, and Geni claims that these 'old friends' of hers can help her. Why can't we somehow go and get reinforcements from the castle?"

"Because right now that isn't possible. One, we would need either need a very powerful source of magic to create a portal out in the middle of nowhere, or find an existing portal and change it to go the castle. I wouldn't even know if that were possible, considering we're outside of our normal dimension right now. Geni might...but I don't want to ask her right now considering how determined she seems to get us to those 'old friends' of hers you mentioned." King Mickey paused in his thought. "I just wish I knew more of what was going on," he said with a sigh.

"She just doesn't trust us...especially after what we said to her before," Riku said softly. "I doubt she's ever going to fully trust me again either...I know I wouldn't." He bent his head down involuntarily, hiding his vivid eyes with his silver hair.

"Give her time Riku," King Mickey said to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hearts are a fragile thing; breaking them is easy, but mending them is even harder. I'm afraid Geni's heart has been through so much these last few years that it has become so fragile, in a sense. I know right now she may seem tough as nails and perfectly fine on the outside...but I _definitely_ know that her heart is in pain and turmoil right now from losing the Queen and her teacher. Trust me...the more she doesn't say, the more she says it."

"You think so?" Riku asked, tilting his head to the side to look at the small monarch.

"I didn't raise her for twelve years not to have learned _that_ much by now," he said with a laugh. "No matter what, Geni will always be my daughter. Hopefully that does count for something in the end."

Geni cringed, her guilt increasing with every second that she listened to their conversation. For twelve years she had kept the secret of the Realm from everyone save Queen Minnie, and for twelve years she had worked her hardest to overcome the fact that she only had half of a heart. And for the last two years, from the time Sora and the King had pushed back the darkness and when all of them defeated the Organization, she had finally thought her life was going to get easier. She had regained her full heart, her family had grown, and she had made many new friends...and she had even found someone who loved her for who she was.

_Until it came to the first test of that love,_ a little voice said from somewhere deep inside of her. _He flat out accused you of cheating on him with Keldar! Riku didn't even let you explain yourself. One would think he was still as arrogant and undeserving as he was before the whole mess with Kingdom Hearts started._

_But what about you? You blatantly lied to all of them...not just your family and friends, but to the person whom you had devoted your heart to. Maybe he should have been going out with Leblanc and not you,_ the voice said with a mocking laugh.

_SHUT UP!_ Geni shouted mentally to herself, pounding her fists against her temple. _I did it to protect them!_

_But now this is all your fault – you're leading them not to reconciliation with the people of this Realm but to their death; you might as well have handed their demises to them on a silver platter!_

_They won't die! I won't let anyone! Not again!_ she screamed at the voice, her breathing coming in short gasps.

"I wonder what's taking Geni so long?" Riku said as they finished their conversation.

"I'll go up and check on her," King Mickey offered as he stood up. "You should get some sleep with the others." As the two of them had been talking, Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy had been eating a small dinner and preparing the blankets for sleeping. Since sleeping quarters were so crowded, it was decided they would split the area between the boy's area and the girl's area, on opposite sides of the glowing and warming sphere. Already Goofy and Donald had set up all of the blankets; it was already very apparent that they would literally be sleeping on top of one another that night.

Hearing this, Geni quickly whipped her face around in the cool air, dispelling the seditious thoughts. She quickly walked forward and almost bumped into King Mickey as he was coming out. "Oh, there you are!" he said with a smile. "I was just coming to see if you were done yet, but it looks like you beat me to the punch."

"All set," Geni told him, looking down. "It's the same as before; if you hear a loud ringing noise, something has set off the alarm. Other than that, I'll be heading off to bed," she told him with a convincing yawn.

"Sleep well," King Mickey told her as he hopped up onto one of the vines near the entrance, giving him a decent vantage point of the immediate area. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, King Mickey," Geni said with a wave as she descended down into the hidden area under the tree.

"You're back!" Sora said with a smile as he saw his sister walking into their hidey-hole. "Did everything go well?"

"Yes. We're all set for the night," Geni said as she located where they had put her things.

"What did you want to eat? There are plenty of those granola bar things left, but mostly we've had our leftover lunches. What would you like?" Sora said, offering up a box of food.

"I'm not that hungry, actually," Geni told him.

Sora frowned. "But you should really eat something – we need to keep up our stamina for all this hiking."

"Honest Sora – I'm not really hungry right now. Don't worry; I'll just have a little extra for breakfast tomorrow morning." Geni placed her hand over her mouth, yawning a little. "But right now I'm more tired than anything, so I'll just go to bed." For further emphasis Geni prepped her sleeping area on the opposite side of them.

"At least have a granola bar or something," Kairi offered. "Sora's right – this isn't a time to be going hungry. Here." Kairi tossed a half-opened granola bar to Geni, forcing her to catch it mid-air lest it fall to the ground and become wasted food.

Geni caught it with ease, looking at it for a moment before she sighed. "Alright, I'll eat it. Thanks," she said as she took a small bite out of it.

Riku watched this interaction with interest, albeit silently. His talk with King Mickey had been informative, and he really wanted to speak with Geni about the events of the past few days. He knew they had both been purposely avoiding each other as much as possible, and with everyone around it wasn't any easier to get any time alone either. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Geni, noticing how stiff her movements were any time someone tried to impede her from going to bed. It appeared that she wanted to cordon off herself from everyone…but why? _I can understand myself, but Sora and Kairi didn't do anything to her_, he thought to himself. He mentally sighed; if only he could talk to Geni like they had before, when they had been dream-sharing during their time within the darkness. However, they hadn't shared one since Sora broke the spell over Geni and freed her from the Organization's control. _It would be nice if we could speak there – then no one would be able to interrupt us. But I never figured out how it happened in the first place, and I doubt Geni would be willing to tell me even if she knew right now._

"-ku? Earth to Riku!"

"What?" Riku said, looking up from the ground where he had been absentmindedly staring.

"He asked you if you were going to sit there all night or get some sleep," Donald quacked impatiently, giving both Riku and Sora a look. "Now stop irritating everyone and go to sleep Sora!"

"Sure Donald," Sora said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"I will too," Riku said, trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere. He heard a giggle, and shot an irritated look at Kairi who was settling down on the opposite side of the room next to Geni. She had placed her large pack near where her head would lay, and had currently kneeled in front of the sphere laying both of her hands on either side of it. Squeezing it gently, the sphere shrunk by a third of its size and the room dimmed immensely, but still leaving enough light to illuminate everything and everyone there. Once Geni finished, she sat down on her blanket and proceeded to lie down and turn away from the light. "Good night," she muttered quietly.

"Night Geni," Sora called, worrying his lip. He looked over and caught Riku's eye, his gaze uneasy. Sora tilted his head, gesturing to Riku that he should go talk to her. Riku immediately shook his head, trying to pantomime _not now_. They argued for several moments like that before an irritated and tired voice disturbed them.

"I'm fine, so stop arguing already," Geni called from her position on the floor. She hadn't moved an inch to face them, and with the little light they did have they hadn't been casting any shadows either. "Just go to sleep Sora – we have a lot of walking to do tomorrow."

"Okay," he answered with a sigh, his shoulders sagging. Riku felt bad – it wasn't Sora's fault...he had been only trying to help. Said person bade goodnight to everyone as well before trying to settle in on the not so level earthen floor. It seemed everyone was having problems with their natural shelter, save Geni who had appeared to have already fallen into a light slumber. She and Kairi were sleeping right next to each other, and Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy tried as best they could not to cramp each other's spaces. As each of the six people slowly found their own path to the world of sleep, King Mickey was keeping vigilant watch on the forest outside.

As the hours passed, and King Mickey awoke Donald to replace him, Geni was once again sleeping fitfully, her dreams plaguing her of events from her distant past. She turned in her sleep, her eyes darting every which way beneath the confines of her closed lids, her fingers balling up the blanket underneath her.

_A little girl ran through the strangely quiet streets, her heart pumping frantically and her breath coming in short gasps. She was in near hysterics, every few seconds looking behind her. She couldn't see them, but she could hear them coming ever closer for her. She wished she had just taken the ferry today like she usually does!_

_"Jalin," the little girl whispered, a tear rolling down her face. Oh, how much she wanted to run into his arms and hide behind her strong and muscular protector. No one ever messed with Jalin! Even when the Guard was involved, they always treated him with a lot of respect. As the little girl ran, her small arms pumping her along, she wiped her face with the back of her hand. Her uniform was stained and dirty from where they had pushed her down; the few embroidered symbols that she did have, the ones that she had worked so hard for, their bright colors of blue, red, and green were now stained a muddy brown color._

_"There she is!"_

_"Get her!"_

_"Don't let her get away!"_

_The little girl panicked, trying to run even faster. As she did, she tripped over a stone in the street and went sprawling. Her hands and knees scraped across the ground, tearing small pieces of skin off and allowing dirt to creep in. She cried out a little, the cuts stinging badly, as she forced herself to keep on running. Where was everyone? Where were the shopkeepers, the people walking to and from home and work? Where were the Guards? As the little girl tried to outrun her pursuers, she attempted to shake them off by taking a quick left which she hoped would take her closer to the docks. Once she did, she saw that the alley ended, but continued to the right. Taking a sharp turn, she ran a few feet before skidding to a halt: she had run into a dead end. Not bothering to look back, she saw a door at the far end of the alley and ran towards it. She pulled on the handle, but it wouldn't budge._

_"There she is!" a boy's voice shouted in triumph. Geni spun around, her body glued to the door. A group of seven or eight young teenagers had the entrance to the alley cordoned off as they smiled in a not so nice way. Their leader, the tallest boy among them, stepped forward. His bright red hair and abundance of freckles made him seem like the type to be picked on, but he was actually the strongest in strength and magic out of all of his year mates. "Well, well…what do we have here? I think we've found ourselves a filthy little bug. What should we do with it?" he said with a sneer._

_"Squash it!" one of the girls called, making her giggle._

_"Give it a bath, it reeks," another boy called. "We could drop it in the river," he added with a suggestive lift of an eyebrow._

_"Make it Nohlmul food!" the boy next to the leader said, making chomping noises and rubbing his stomach._

_"Hmm…all very good suggestions," the leader said. "But I think we'll do both – squash it and then give it a bath!" he said with a laugh. "This'll teach you for coming here and pretending that you're so high and mighty, outsider," he said with a sneer. "Get her."_

_The little girl watched the entire one-sided confrontation with a knot growing in her stomach as she tried to find a way out. She looked around with her eyes, looking for something to climb up on or a way to get past the teens. When they began to move towards her, the little girl began to move to her right a little as she saw a tiny opening between them. Taking her chance, she took a deep breath and lunged from her spot on the wall. Her action seemed to take the group by surprise, because she was almost through the tiny hole before a large body blocked her path and shoved her, sending her flying back into the stone wall. She let out a cry of pain and crumbled to the ground._

_"Nice block," the leader told the large boy. He had been hiding behind the corner of the alley, just in case the girl had tried to escape. "Now, let's finish the job."_

_The teenage boys and girls ran up to the little girl lying on the ground and began to pummel her mercilessly. Some of them kicked her, some of them punched her, others used the little bit of battle magic they had already learned to give her small burns, pick up rocks and launch them at her, use the wind to slice at her, and freeze the water droplets in the air to make projectiles and shoot them at her like missiles._

_Cuts, bruises, and burns were only a few of the physical damages done to the girl. The children also taunted her verbally, wreaking havoc upon her fragile mind. They knew she wouldn't be able to fight back; they had made sure to run her ragged before they swooped in on her because with her having only half a heart she didn't have the stamina or the strength they had – giving them an even larger advantage over her._

_The little girl whimpered and cried softly, curling her body into a fetal position to soften the blows upon her small frame. With every thud that connected to her, jarring her from her concentration, her resolve weakened and weakened until it was almost gone. With a kick to her head, someone's toe landing against her temple, she felt her vision darken and her body loosen up as she almost lost consciousness. The shouts and yells from those around her began to dim; the bright sunlight began to turn to dark shadows; her body began to uncurl which allowed her attackers even more canvas for the pain they were painting her with. Until…_

_"STOP!" a young boy cried out. All of the teenagers froze before turning around very slowly. They had taken such good precautions to make sure they weren't followed, so who had found them? What greeted them was a boy a few years older than the little girl – who was in quite bad shape by then. His jet black spiky hair waved in the small breeze, but his eyes were full of fury. "What are you doing?" he shouted at them. "Why are you beating her up?" He looked at each of them in turn, memorizing their faces._

_Seeing as it was only a little boy, the leader stepped forward and sneered at him. "Go home to mommy, brat," he told him. "This isn't any of your business."_

_"Yes it is – and I know that the Queen and Miss Lirona are going to be really mad when I tell them about this and show them how hurt Geni is. I bet that you'll all get arrested by the Guard," he said, jutting his chin out at them._

_"Not if you aren't around to tell them," the leader said with a nasty smile. "Get him! We'll get rid of him too!" The teens stopped their assault on poor little Geni and made their way towards the little boy. The young boy was brave, albeit a little foolish to be taking on a group with twice as much height and more than twice as much power as he had – yet he stood his ground, putting up his fists against them._

_"I'll defeat all of you!" he told them bravely._

_"Ha – I'd like to see that," one boy said, the one who had suggested giving Geni a bath in the river. The group closed in around him, cutting him off. As they drew nearer, the boy still continued to hold his ground, even though he was most likely going to end up following in Geni's fate._

_Whoosh! Just then, a flash of light blinded everyone in the alley, and several thumps were heard flying past the young boy. He shut his eyes tight, holding his hands over his eyes. In a few seconds the light vanished, and the little boy opened his eyes to an amazing sight. All of the teenagers were lying against the far wall at the beginning of the dead end, most just starting to stumble to their feet. He turned his head to see Geni sitting up with her hand stretched out, breathing deeply. Cuts littered her body, some larger than others, but all of them still bleeding the same. Bruises littered her arms, legs, and face. Her clothes were dirty, muddy, and ripped all over, and her spikes and braid were disheveled and unruly. But what unsettled him the most was that Geni did not move, her deep ocean blue eyes blank and unblinking as they stared at her attackers._

_"Le-let's get out of here! She's a monster!" a shorter girl said as she stood up shivering – the one who had suggested squashing her like a bug._

_"She shouldn't have that much power!" the leader said as he backed away, fear in his eyes. Shaking his head, he turned and bolted out of the alley, his cronies hot on his trail, leaving the two children standing and sitting there in silence._

_The boy turned around just in time to see Geni's arm drop and her body slump to the ground. He ran towards her, calling her name. "Geni! Hey Geni! Are you okay?" he said, dropping to his knees next to her. "Oh man – she's in bad shape. I better take her to the Healer's Pavilion," he said to himself. Carefully, he lifted Geni up from under her arms and slung her across his back, crossing her hands in front of him and her feet as best he could around his middle which he used to hold onto her. "Um, hold on, okay?" he told the unconscious girl. The boy slowly began to walk out of the alley and towards the main street, picking up speed as he adjusted Geni to make sure he would not jar her._

_Geni first felt a cool breeze in her face, cooling off her hot forehead as she slowly regained consciousness. "Mmm," she groaned softly._

_"Hang on," a male voice told her gently._

_Geni opened her eyes a crack, seeing jet black hair. "Who-who're you?" she said, slurring her syllables. Her tongue felt enormous and heavy in her mouth, making it difficult to speak._

_"Keldar. Nice to meet you," the boy told her as they rounded a corner._

_"Hi," Geni said, closing her eyes as she slipped back into blissfully unaware sleep._

Geni awoke with a start, sitting up so quickly she made herself dizzy. She could feel her face hot with sweat, and her breathing coming in short gasps. Looking around quickly, she noticed gladly that no one else was awake or had awoken due to her dreaming. She shook her head. _I haven't had that dream in such a long time_¸ she thought to herself. She looked down at her arms and legs, turning them and examining them. Her skin felt tingly, like she had been beaten once again. The sons and daughters of the noble families who had chased her had belonged with the popular opinion of the time to banish the intruders of the Realm, namely Geni and Queen Minnie. However, since Queen Minnie wasn't there all the time, they took out their anger on her more often than not.

_Looks like they'll get their wish_, Geni thought to herself, sighing. _Well, I know I'm not going to sleep after that._ She quietly stood up, brushing herself off, and quietly tiptoed through the bodies on her way to the exit. She could hear many sets of quiet snores and deep breathing; Geni turned around and looked at her friends and family, and smiled a little. She then turned back and made her way outside.

Riku lay as still as he possibly could, pretending to be asleep yet. When he had heard someone wake up loudly, he turned slightly to see as to who it was. What surprised him was that it was Geni yet again – Sora had told him about yesterday morning and her waking up from a bad dream. He turned back, listening. When he heard her get up and begin to walk out from their secret spot, he began to get worried. Out of all of them, Geni needed her rest the most and she wasn't getting it by having nightmares every night that tended to keep her awake.

_Should I...go talk to her now?_ Riku thought to himself. _I might not get any other time to do it._ Riku pondered on this for a moment, before gathering his nerve and quietly getting up and following her. He was careful to step over everyone, slinking into the shadows and disappearing into the night.

King Mickey listened to the both of them, quietly smiling before he rolled over and closed his eyes.

Outside, Geni peered around the roots, looking for Donald. She found him on top of one of the largest roots far to her left, scouting the area. Tiptoeing, she went in the other direction as quickly as she could, making her way through the darkness. It wasn't difficult; a bright full moon was able to shine through parts of the trees and light her way. Geni wasn't walking in any particular direction; rather, she was just looking for a spot a ways away from everyone to do some quiet thinking. In a few minutes, she had found the spot she was looking for; another great tree, with its roots splaying out in many directions before entering the ground. She jumped up on several of these, climbing higher and higher, until she felt the breeze pick up from the branches high above her. It was at this point that Geni sat down on the root, her legs swaying gently below her.

Whenever Geni had had a bad dream, someone had always been around to comfort her: Sora, Daisy, King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Lirona, even Queen Hisako at times. For the moment, she didn't want to worry Sora or King Mickey further, and the last two people on her list wouldn't be able to guide her anymore. Geni's throat constricted and she felt a tightening in her chest. _It was my fault they died…no matter what anyone says_, she thought bitterly. _I know Sora meant well, but there are just some things that won't change no matter how we look at them. Death being one of them._ Her mind shifted to the reason why she was awake at such a late hour. _Why did I dream of that…of him? I haven't thought about it or dreamt of it for years and years now…so what brought it up this time, right now? Is it because I feel like I betrayed him? I feel that way about everyone I left behind, not just him. Or is it because…_

_"You have feelings for both of them, however."_

The unicorn's words rang out in her mind, making Geni flinch. _He's right though…_she thought to herself. _From that day onward, Keldar became my friend. Maybe not a great friend, but someone I could rely on and trust. Of course we did have our differing opinions which he vocalized quite often and at times to everyone's irritation, but he is honest and loyal._ Geni looked up, seeing a small opening in the dense canopy. Millions of stars twinkled away in the night sky, shining merrily. She smiled softly, remembering. _And he always did try his best; even if his brain got in the way of his heart more often than not, he still made sure to be true to himself._ Geni closed her eyes, feeling the cooling breeze against her flushed skin.

Down below Riku had followed Geni's example, skirting past Donald and following a ways behind her. He watched as she jumped gracefully from one root to another until she was sitting high above him. After that, he studied her actions for a few minutes; he watched her look up into the night sky and close her eyes. Riku couldn't imagine the last time he had seen her so serene and peaceful – lately her face had been full of worry, of anger, of concern, and of sadness. And knowing he was the cause of much of it only made him feel worse. Deciding this was for the best, he once again put his power to work as the master of shadows and quickly climbed up after her.

As Riku leapt from root to root, growing ever closer, his determination never faltered but his mouth grew dry and his tongue heavy. In wetting his lips and trying to bring more saliva to his mouth, he didn't see the twig resting on the root he had jumped to, the one just behind were Geni was sitting, until it was too late. _Snap!_ The twig broke and alerted Geni to his presence.

At the sudden noise Geni's calm mood was broken and she immediately opened her eyes and looked behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise, seeing Riku standing behind her. "Riku?" she asked him in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"

The practiced words that Riku had worked so hard on flew straight out of his head, and he was tongue-tied. "I…I wanted to get some fresh air," he stumbled as he stood there, feeling and looking quite awkward.

"And you had to come all the way up here to get some?" she asked him, an eyebrow rising at the obvious lie.

"Well…I…" Riku said as he fumbled for words. He shook his head, deciding that at this point the truth was his best option. "I wanted to talk to you," he told her simply. "May I sit down?"

Geni was silent. "Sure," she said curtly, turning around, her entire body stiffening. Riku jumped to the root she was sitting on, and sat down a good six feet away from her or more to give them plenty of space. As he settled, Geni spoke up quietly. "What do you want?" she told him, sounding tired.

"We need to talk," Riku told her.

"About what?"

"Well…about everything, I suppose." Riku paused, scratching his head. "Mostly about what's happened here since we arrived several days ago."

"That's quite a lot to talk about," Geni said nonchalantly.

"Can I ask you some questions?" he said, looking over at her.

She sighed. "What do you want to know?" Riku was taken aback. He hadn't been expecting this conversation to be so easy – the answers so simple to give. "Well?"

Riku shook his head. "Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning. I know you weren't allowed to tell anyone but Queen Minnie about the Realm, so everything before we arrived here had to be a secret to us. But why couldn't you tell us about your betrothal? And about having to live her permanently?" Riku thought it best to get right to the point of their conversation.

Geni was very quiet for the moment, until she let out a loud exhalation. "I couldn't, not at first," she told him softly. "When I first found out, I wanted to run away and never come back to this place. I wanted to be normal, to be ordinary – I didn't want to rule an entire world…Disney Castle being the exception, of course. I wanted…to be just a plain teenager whose biggest problem would be acne." Geni stopped. "But then Lirona showed me all the good I could do if I were to accept; not just in this world but in all worlds. I would have the greatest amount of influence anyone could want. If it had just been that, then I think I would have been fine with having to stay here for the rest of my life, even if that meant Sora coming to visit me here. But…"

"But what?" Riku gently prodded.

Geni turned her head to face him. Riku could see that her eyes were bright and shining with the little amount of light that showed from the moon high above them. "But I couldn't bring myself to accept the fact that the person I would be spending the rest of my life with was already chosen for me, and that I had no say in the matter."

"So you don't like Keldar," Riku pointed out.

"Well, not exactly no," Geni said slowly. Riku's fists clenched on the root. "Keldar and I have been friends ever since I was little. Elwen told you the story about how I had been beaten up by the children of the noble families and of how Keldar had supposedly rescued me? Well…that's not an entirely true story."

Riku's fists unclenched a little. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the first part is true. The children of the noble families who had wanted no outside influence on the Realm chased me and cornered me in an alleyway and had proceeded to beat me up – quite badly, in fact. It was at that point that Keldar had found us and stepped in. But before he could do anything, there was this light…" Geni trailed off, remembering her dream.

"A light?" Riku said, confused.

"I don't remember doing it, but Keldar had said that I sat up even with my injuries and stretched my hand out. A bright white light surrounded everything, and in doing that I sent all of the attackers flying against a far wall. After that they ran away scared, and Keldar carried me to the Healer's Pavilion."

"I see," Riku said, his sudden jealously abating.

"After that, Keldar and I sort of became friends. We weren't really good friends, like Elwen and I are, and of course we disagree all the time and certainly there are times when Keldar gets on my nerves so bad I just want to hit him," Geni said in a rush, "but even with his flaws Keldar is a good friend. His mind may get in the way of his heart more often than not, but he does stay true to what is right." Geni smiled a little to herself, which didn't go unnoticed by Riku.

"You like him," he said as quietly as he could, somewhat in an accusatory manner. Geni looked up into his eyes, seeing once more the betrayal that Riku had felt when he had first learned about it.

She looked to the side. "In a way, I suppose," she admitted to him, feeling the words roll off her tongue like rocks. "But for the most part, he felt more like an older brother than a future husband," she quickly added.

"What about now?" Riku prodded, his voice still quiet.

"I don't really know," Geni said, more to herself than Riku.

"Oh."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, allowing the breeze to rustle the leaves high above them. Riku knew what question he wanted to ask, but was too afraid of the answer. Him, a master of the Keyblade, and wielder of not just light but of darkness as well, was afraid of what a girl might think about him. Summoning up his courage, he opened his mouth to speak. "Do…do you still…have any feelings for me?" he asked her softly, looking at her face.

Geni slowly turned her head and locked eyes with Riku. She noticed how the breeze played with his silver hair, how his aquamarine eyes were so dark yet so full of life, of how his pale skin shone in the moonlight. Of the smooth lips she had tasted only a few times before. "Riku…" she began. He looked at her expectantly, with a small glint of hope shining in his eyes. "Of course I do," she told him with a blush.

Riku immediately turned away, shame and embarrassment wreaking havoc within him. Even after all this…even after he called her a liar, denied her feelings for him, denied his feelings for her, shouted at her, and said and thought horrible things about her and how she had supposedly used him…she still cared for him. Riku felt his breath catch in his throat, and he shut his eyes tight as he looked down at the ground.

Geni immediately noticed his change in behavior. _Did I say something wrong?_ she thought to herself. _What if he's still angry with me? What if he still thinks I'm lying to him yet again?_ "Riku?" she said tentatively.

"I'm sorry."

Geni blinked. Riku had mumbled something so softly she had barely heard it. Or maybe the wind was playing tricks on her ears. "What did you say?" she asked him.

Riku cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "All this time…after calling you a liar, after doubting you, after thinking you used me as just a plaything…" He stopped, inhaling shakily. "After all that I've done to you, you still…care about me?"

Geni's mouth gaped open. "Is that what you've been thinking about this whole time?" she asked him incredulously. "Of course I knew you would be angry with me. The only thing I had hoped is that you were the mature and caring person I knew; that even after knowing the truth you would want to get the whole truth from me before jumping to conclusions. I guess I was wrong about that…you got angry with me, and I was too stubborn to come right out and rectify that. Maybe neither of us are as mature as I thought we were," she finished with a small laugh.

Hope began to blossom like a fragile flower bud in Riku's chest. However, he still wanted one point cleared from her. "So…you have feelings for both of us. Keldar and I," he clarified, looking up at her.

Geni's laughing abruptly halted. "Would you be mad at me…if I said yes?" she replied in the tiniest of whispers, staring down at her feet.

"I would have thought you were a Nobody if you didn't," Riku said to her with a smile, making her look up at him with his odd statement. "You grew up with him like a brother, then a really good friend, and now you were supposed to treat him as something even more?" He looked deep into her confused eyes. "In the end, whether you will choose me or not, the choice will be up to you. And I will be happy with whatever decision you make, as long as it makes you happy. You know I love you Geni, and I always will."

"Riku…" Geni whispered. Riku stood up on the root they had been sitting on, and carefully walked over to where she was sitting and sat down next to her, facing Geni by straddling the root with his legs.

"I will always love you with all my heart and soul, Genevieve Keilanyi Astraea," he told her in a loving whisper. He stabilized himself with his left hand on the root, but brought up his right hand to cup the side of her face. Geni's heart was in turmoil with conflicting emotions, but once Riku cradled the side of her face she sighed and closed her eyes, leaning into his warm hand. Riku ran his thumb along her delicate cheekbone, observing the small bags under her eyes. Ever so slowly, he inched forward until his lips were mere millimeters away from Geni's. It was at this moment she opened her eyes, and they stared at each other, breaths caught in their throats.

Time stood still. The wind held the leaves high; the crickets ceased their chirping; the owls silenced theirs hoots; the frogs and toads croaked once and were silent; the whole world seemed to hold its breath. And then…they connected. The two of them pressed their lips together very softly at first, testing themselves. When neither pulled away, it seemed like an unspoken agreement that they pulled their bodies together even closer and deepened the kiss. It was suddenly filled with a great need and longing for each other. Physical contact had been such a necessity after their time within the dark realm, of when they had no control over their own bodies. Through touch they had reaffirmed for themselves time and again that they were once again the masters of their own fates. Especially through touch between each other.

Riku moved his right hand to the back of her head, pulling Geni closer to him, while wrapping his left hand around her waist and pulling her closer to him. Geni circled her arms around his waist, practically sitting in his lap. As the kiss intensified, their lips moved apart for a fraction before crashing upon one another once more. Riku opened his mouth slightly and pressed his tongue against Geni's sweet lips, gently asking her permission for entrance. She immediately opened up to him, and he slid his wet appendage inside of her warm mouth. While moving their mouths around each others lips, their tongues fought for dominance inside of them. Up and down, over and under they went, their passion fueling the heat within their bodies.

It was at this point that they separated, breathing heavily. Riku, however, continued his assault on the beautiful girl in front of him, leaning forward to plant feather light kisses along her jaw line leading to her ear. Once there, he nibbled on it for a moment before Geni arched her neck up, allowing Riku's hand to hold her up as continued his kissing from her ear down her slender neck. He had to, otherwise she would have probably fallen off of the branch by then – Riku was quickly turning her into a puddle of bliss. Geni's hands had slid from Riku's waist to his arms, and when he hit a spot in the hollow of her neck, her hands tightened on his arms. Riku stopped there, alternating between kissing and sucking on the spot with fervor.

Geni moaned softly, reveling at his touch. It felt so good that she couldn't even think straight anymore. As Riku continued to give her a hicky, her hands began to roam. She slid them over his arms and up towards his head, massaging his silky hair and loving the feel of it on her skin.

Moments later, when Riku had paused to take a breath, Geni halted his advance by leaning into his chest and wrapping her arms around his extremely muscular frame. He was surprised, but nonetheless held onto her as they both breathed deeply, coming down from their loving high.

"Riku," she said breathlessly. "I'm sorry for lying to you this whole time."

"I'm sorry for ever doubting you," he said, pulling her tight. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions before you could have told me the truth."

"I should have told you the truth right away, instead of trying to protect you from it," Geni continued, looking up into his eyes.

"And I should trust in your judgment and your reasoning. I know you would never do anything to hurt anyone, especially those you love," he told her. "Please forgive me."

"No, you should be the one forgiving me," Geni insisted. "I always thought I had to hide this part of my life from all of you – especially you – but instead I should have told you about this right away. Maybe that could have prevented this mess," she told him quietly.

"Maybe, maybe not," Riku told her. He let go of her with one hand and used his index finger to tilt her chin up so he could look her directly in the face. "We'll figure out a way to fix this; the engagement, the ruling of this Realm, and bringing Donovan to justice for the deaths of Queen Hisako and Lirona."

Geni averted her eyes from his gaze for a moment. "Can we? Is there a way to fix all of this? What if…even if we _can_ fix some of this, some of it will still have to be done?"

Riku was silent. He knew what Geni was talking about; he wasn't happy about it, but he didn't know if there was any way to fix it at the moment. "Then we'll take it one small step at a time," he declared to her. "We'll bring Donovan to justice first, and figure out the rest later."

She looked up at him, and for once a true and genuine smile graced her lips. "Yeah," she told him. Geni buried her face in his chest, her arms tightening around him. "Thank you, Riku."

"Anytime shorty," he told him, bending down to envelope her in his strong arms. The music of the night – crickets chirping, frogs and toads croaking, owls hooting, the wind blowing – once again resumed.

Down below, just outside of the secret chamber in which several humans and a large dog were sleeping, a tiny mouse king watched with a smile in the general direction of the human boy and girl as they reconciled with each other. King Mickey, knowing that his two charges had made up and their group was at last whole once more, chuckled softly. As quietly as he could he walked back down into the hidden room. _Extremely large ears can definitely come in handy once in a while_, he thought to himself with amusement.

Additionally, in the far-off distance, two women's happy laughter could be heard echoing on the wind.


	27. Ascension

Chapter 26

"This way!" Geni called with a smile as she rounded the corner of another large tree.

Sora couldn't help but grin to himself; he could not get over the dramatic change in his sister from yesterday to this morning. Before, she had been quiet and sullen, barely talking to anyone except in minute sentences. Now she was smiling and even a little more talkative…she still didn't say much, but at least she wasn't closing herself off from them anymore. "Coming!" Sora answered back. And…

"Wait for us!" Riku said with a laugh. "I know we're in a hurry, but it won't do us any good to get lost on the way there," he added as he jogged around the tree.

Sora wasn't going to jinx it, but whatever happened between his sister and his best friend the night before had certainly helped to begin healing the rift that had formed between them. Riku and Geni were talking to each other, smiling, laughing, and overall acting like nothing had happened between them…almost. It was still apparent that the both of them were trying to reconcile with each other, so at times their conversation became quiet or strained. However, it was still apparent that they were both trying their best to make up for what had been lost.

"So," Kairi huffed as she caught sight of her friends again, "how much farther is it now?" So far, it was mid-morning and the group had already covered a good distance. They woke and resumed their long trek at dawn, utilizing the cool morning air to their advantage. Already, but very slowly, each of them could feel the slow rise in the land as they made their way towards the Beast's Rest.

"Well…" Geni said, slowing her pace a little as several birds chirped overhead. "We already traveled about half the distance yesterday, and we covered about five miles this morning. So I'm guessing we still have another twenty miles or so to go until we reach the base of the mountains. We should be there by late morning tomorrow if we keep a steady pace," she concluded.

"Whelp, that's good to know," King Mickey said. "Will there be any problems once we get to the mountains?"

Geni fell silent for a moment. "The weather tends to shift a lot on the mountains, and I'm afraid we're heading into the stormy season, especially for the mountains. Unless we find one of the tunnels or passages through the mountains, I'm afraid that we're probably going to run into a snow storm or two. And like Donald said earlier, we aren't exactly _prepared_ for that kind of weather. We can use magic, of course, but using too much will draw attention to ourselves especially if they're searching anywhere around them."

"Is there anyplace that we can go to for supplies that won't recognize us?" Sora asked her as he hopped over a log.

"No," she immediately replied. "The only two towns that are anywhere near the mountains are along the two rivers that flank us to the east and west, which are both at least forty miles away in each direction. And because they are some of the most direct routes past the mountains, I'm afraid they've already been alerted to our status. So no…there really isn't anywhere we can stop and get supplies." Geni looked down as she walked. "I'm really sorry about this everyone," she said softly. "I should have put a little more forethought into this."

"Don't worry about that, a-hyuk," Goofy said, patting her on the back. "We were in a little bit of a hurry when we left. And none of us were expecting to bring our snow shoes along. Oh – and all of the other emergency equipment we usually pack is still in the gummi ship," he said brightly. Everyone gave him a look. "What?" Goofy asked, confused.

King Mickey and Donald both sighed. "I had forgotten about that – we had extreme weather gear in the storage compartment in the gummi for emergencies," Donald told them all. "We should have taken the gummi ship instead – and then we could have flown there instead of walking as well."

"Probably not," Geni said, frowning. "The gummi ship was probably locked down as soon as the Guard was sent out. Even if we had gotten there undetected, we wouldn't have been able to use it unless we went through a battalion of Guards on the way there. And that would have made the situation only worse," she pointed out.

"I suppose so," Donald grumbled. Just then, he spotted something strange out of the corner of his eye. Turning to look, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He shook his head, thinking that he was seeing things. However, he was not the only one.

"What was that?" Sora said, stopping.

"What?" Geni asked, pausing to turn around.

"There was something…over there, but now it's gone," he said, tilting his head to the side.

"What do you mean something?" Geni said.

"Well, it was kind of blurry and fuzzy. Now it's clear, but if you look that way out of the corner of your eye –" Sora demonstrated by turning his head and squinting while pointing off to their right – "it seems like something is wrong with the tree over there." Everyone duplicated his movements, and within seconds the group had all seen the strange phenomenon. "Do you see it?"

"Oh, I do Sora." Geni was grinning from ear to ear. "I had hoped to find that."

"Find what?" he asked her. "Is it good?"

"It's great! Come on – let's go." Geni began to run over to the tree in question, everyone following behind her while trying not to trip over roots and rocks. Once Geni reached the tree, she began to feel it all over with the palms of her hands, as if she was searching for something. "It's got to be here," she muttered to herself.

"What are you looking for?" Riku asked her as he stood back and watched.

"I'll know it when I find it," she told him as she continued her search. The group watched her with interest and a little confusion, until Geni appeared to have found what she was looking for. "Aha! Here it is." She was looking at a knot on the outside of the tree, where a small branch could have grown at a point in the distant past. "Do you know what this is?" she asked them, patting the tree like it was a pet that had done something good.

"A tree?" Goofy said.

"Well, yes it is, but this is a very special tree. There are only a few like it here in this forest. This tree in ages past was used as a conduit for magic; it was a way for people to enjoy the forests around the capital and travel through them quickly. You see, this tree is actually a small portal."

"A portal?" Kairi repeated. "What for?"

"For traveling long distances in short jumps. The reason it looks blurry out of the corner of your eyes is because the amount of magic that was used on it in the past has changed it so that it is not alive like the rest of the trees which grow with the sun and water, but it solely relies on magic now to live." Geni looked up at the tree. "This is also why it is slowly dying."

"Isn't there anything we can do about it?" Riku asked her.

Geni shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, no. But by using this tree as a portal and imbuing it with more magic, we can prolong its life. Even so, at the rate it is going, it is still going to live for at least another one hundred years or more. But anyway, this tree is our ticket for getting us to the base of the mountains this afternoon yet. We can get there in just a few minutes."

"Really?" Kairi said, perking up. "No more walking?"

"Not until we start walking upwards. But for that matter, we can rest for the remainder of the morning and begin this afternoon if the weather isn't too bad when we arrive. So, shall we?" Geni asked them with a smile.

"Of course! Let's go!" Kairi said, stepping forward quickly. "So, how do we do this?"

"Easy. Picture in your heads a group of mountains, with green shrubs and trees covering their bottom-most slopes until halfway up where the trees disappear and the landscape becomes barren. From there it becomes gray and bleak and the ground begins to be covered in snow. The mountains are so high their peaks disappear behind the clouds, and they stretch as far as you can see in every direction."

"Okay…but why?" Sora asked with his eyes closed tight.

"Because the tree is going to be sending you to its counterpart there at the base of the mountains through the system of roots that connects all of the trees in this forest. I hope," she added while trying to disguise it with a polite cough.

"What do you mean, you hope?" Donald said, staring at her.

"Well, the other tree might not be too close to where the mountain range is, so I'm hoping we'll end up that close. We won't know until we try," she told them with a shrug. "I'll go first. Just place your palm on the knot here," she said as she demonstrated, "and then think of the picture in your mind. You should feel a slight tugging sensation, but that should be all. Oh – and I suggest keeping your eyes closed," she added as an afterthought.

"Why?" Riku asked, stepping forward to examine the knot Geni had her hand resting upon.

"Well…you'll be traveling through the root system of the forest, twisting and turning, over and under. It might be a little _dizzying_, to say the least," Geni told him with a glint to her eyes.

"Sounds like a roller coaster to me," Sora answered with the same glint in his eye. "Let's go already!"

"Wait, wait. Let me test it first," Geni told him. She walked around to the side of the tree, directly in front of the knot her hand had been resting on. Riku moved aside to watch her. "Let's just see if this will actually work first, Sora. I'll be back in a moment or two."

"Don't get lost," King Mickey said with a frown.

"I won't," Geni promised before she turned and bent down a little. Replacing her hand over the knot, she closed her eyes and saw the mountains rising above her in her mind. Suddenly she could feel the familiar tug of the magic, and within seconds her body and been pulled like taffy into the tree and had disappeared.

"Where'd she go?" Sora said, looking around with worry.

"Sora, she just said that the magic works through the _roots_ of the trees," Kairi told him patiently. "We can't see underground."

"Oh, yeah," he said, smiling sheepishly. They all stood patiently for a minute, waiting for Geni to return. Sora leaned back on the balls of his feet, swinging his arms up and resting them behind his head in his normal relaxed pose. However, just as he did that, Geni came flying back out from inside of the tree and stumbled a few steps forward before looking up at them with an enormous smile. "Well?" Sora asked.

"We can get to the very base of the mountains from here," she said excitedly. "I was right – this tree leads to the very edge of the forest before it begins to slope upwards. We'll be able to travel those twenty miles within a few seconds."

"Hallelujah!" Kairi cried, more for her feet than anything else. "Let's hurry up then!" She promptly stepped forward in front of the whole group and placed her hand upon the knot.

"Wait Kairi!" Geni said, stopping her quickly. Kairi looked up at her impatiently. "Don't forget to picture the mountains in your head like I told you to, otherwise you'll end up somewhere else completely and we won't be able to find you."

"Oh," Kairi said, drawing her hand back from the knot, embarrassed. "What were they like again?"

"Gray mountains that have a lot of shrubs and trees at the bottom of them until the land becomes barren and snow begins to cover it about a quarter of the way up. Oh, and it's very foggy right now," she added.

"Right." Kairi turned around and shut her eyes tight, her hand poised over the knot for a moment before she took a deep breath and placed her hand upon it. In seconds she was sucked into the tree as well and disappeared.

"She really can't get too lost, can she?" Sora said with a worried tone to his voice and he stepped up next to his sister.

"Not really. I checked the connection while I was in the roots – the magic here in the forest has decayed so much that only this tree, our destination, and three other trees are working within a hundred mile radius. Kairi wouldn't be able to leave this root system unless she ended up on a tree on the outer edges of it and then walked to the next, which could be another twenty miles or so in a different direction."

"Oh, that makes me feel _so_ much better," Sora muttered.

Geni patted his shoulder. "I'll go next to check on her. Just follow after me, waiting a minute or two between people, okay?" She smiled at Sora, and then knelt down to touch the knot on the tree. Like Kairi, her body was pulled into the tree and immediately disappeared.

"Gawrsh, that kind of reminds me of that taffy pulling machine at the fair," Goofy said, smacking his lips. Sora gave him a look.

"I don't think that's helping a lot, Goofy," King Mickey said to him, tilting his head towards Sora.

"Whoops, sorry Sora," Goofy apologized.

"No big deal Goofy – let's keep going. I'll go next," Sora volunteered. Not hearing or seeing any complaints, he stepped forward to the tree and placed his hand upon the knot. Closing his eyes Sora imagined the landscape that Geni had told him about, with the gray fog covered mountains and the dense landscape surrounding them like the hem of a dress. He felt a strange pulling sensation before he felt like he was flying at a great speed, faster than any gummi ship could go. He cracked his right eye open just a bit, even though Geni had warned them not to.

Sora was amazed at the sight his little view gave him. He was flying in a tunnel of soft brown light, but he could clearly see all of the other enormous roots under the forest floor passing him at light speed. He was also twisting and turning, changing directions in milliseconds. Looking ahead he saw a bright light beginning to grow larger and larger, until it blinded him momentarily and he felt himself get tossed to the ground and roll a few times before stopping.

"Sora! Glad you could join the party!" Sora opened his eyes, sitting up cautiously. Geni was standing in front of him smiling, but Kairi was bending down to envelope him in a gripping hug.

"That wasn't like any rollercoaster I've ever been on before!" she told him breathlessly, and with a little sarcasm, before pecking him on the cheek. "What did you think Sora?"

He was blushing a little, but Geni had already turned around to wait for the next traveler. "It was…amazing," he told her. "I didn't know that everything could connect like that. It was like being in another world down there."

"Well, technically it was," Geni called just as a blur popped out of the tree and went rolling. Geni ran after it, and after the ball uncurled itself Donald began dusting himself off and standing up, allowing Geni to help clean his feathers. "The forest itself is an entity all its own remember."

"Oh. Protecting its friends from its enemies, right?" he said as he stood up next to Kairi.

"Exactly," Geni called as another blur came barreling out from the tree. The large shoes indicated it was Goofy this time.

Sora took the time as he was waiting for King Mickey and Riku to join them to turn around and look at the scenery. The trees around them were shorter than in the middle of the forest twenty miles away, but only because of the massive gray mountain that suddenly loomed in front of him as he turned south. "We have to cross that?!" Sora said incredulously.

The mountain's peak was hidden in the clouds thousands of feet above them. He could see the distinct line where green ended and a gray white mixture began. Sora also noticed, with a little worry, the angry clouds that were swirling high above them as well. "A snowstorm," he said quietly to Kairi.

"That's not good," she told him back. "We'll be heading straight into that, and it doesn't look like it's going to be letting up anytime soon either." The teens looked to the south with worried faces. They barely noticed the small thump behind them as King Mickey came racing out of the portal.

"We had better find one of those tunnels, otherwise we won't be able to cross that with the supplies we have now," Sora pointed out.

Kairi nodded. "The blankets we do have can't protect us as much as heavy coats would."

"Or boots, gloves, hats, parkas, snowshoes…" Donald began to list off.

"We will just have to do our best," King Mickey said, coming to gaze up at the impassible obstacle before them. "We don't have any other choice but to." One last large thump made everyone turn around, seeing a blur of silver come shooting out of the tree. Riku rolled to a stop, ending up with one foot out and one under him for balance. "That's everyone then."

Geni offered her hand to Riku, who took it gladly. "None of us got lost," he joked to her.

"What, you didn't want to go sightseeing?" Geni jibed back at him.

"Not particularly," Riku said with a shrug. "So, what do we do now oh fearless leader?" he asked her.

"We rest for a bit, and see if the storm moves off of the mountain. If it does, we'll have to start climbing right away before another one comes up. They can form out of the blue and take you by surprise if you aren't careful," she said in a solemn voice.

"Works for me," Kairi said, sitting down on a large flat rock and sighing happily. Sora sat down next to her and their hands found each other and their fingers entwined with a slight squeeze. Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey each found their own spot as well and proceeded to relax and unwind as long as they had a little time before their long trek once again resumed. Geni walked towards the mountains, looking for a better opening in the trees in which to watch the storm circling the peak of the mountain, disappearing behind a few trees as she did so.

After a moment of internal debate, Riku quickly jogged after her and found her staring intently up into the sky. He quietly walked and stood next to her. The two teens stood silently next to each other, before Riku felt shaky fingers brush his hand. He opened his hand in understanding, and Geni slid into his palm, fitting his grip like a glove. "What are you worried about?" he asked her in a hushed whisper.

"This will be the hardest part of our journey. And I don't know what to expect once we start climbing the mountain." Geni paused, sucking in a deep breath. "I know there are supposed to be some old tunnels, but I don't know where they are. And if I don't know where they are, we'll be traversing the most dangerous mountain in the Realm blindfolded – literally."

"Well, I've got that covered – I walked around like that for almost a year, remember?" he told her as he squeezed her hand. "Don't worry – I know you won't steer us wrong."

"I hope you have enough of the confidence for all of us," Geni told him as she turned her head to look up at him. Her blue eyes were dark, almost navy colored at the moment, even standing in the bright daylight. Blinking she turned her gaze back towards the summit. "Riku...?"

"Yes?"

"Do you, do you think I'm doing the right thing?" Her question was muted, even though it did not mask the anxiety behind the question.

"How do you mean?" Riku asked her, turning towards her.

"This," Geni said, using her free hand to gesture towards the mountains. "I mean, am I doing the right thing by going and getting help? You know I didn't want to involve any of you in this mess in the first place, but you can see how that's turned out. Do I want to involve more innocent people? This isn't really their fight," she said with a shake of her head.

"Well..." Riku began, "what are _they_ like? You haven't told us who we are going to meet, except that they're old friends of yours who live on the other side of this mountain range. Maybe if you told us who we're meeting, it could help you decide whether or not this is the best plan of action."

"I suppose you're right," Geni said, taking in a deep breath. "A long time ago, I took a trip with Lirona and a group of healers down the rivers and through the mountains to the other side to help with a sickness that had been ravaging towns and villages making everyone extremely sick, and in some cases claiming their lives. While I was there I met some traveling pi...merchants, who sold foodstuffs and sundries by flying from town to town on their airship."

"What are pimerchants?" Riku asked her.

"Just the local name for merchants who travel by air – don't ask me who came up with that," Geni said quickly, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, they let me fly with them for a quick trip. I learned how to navigate the air currents, work the ship, and fly. They were the ones who taught me to love flying, actually," she told him, her face softening with memories.

"I see," Riku said, wondering what she was thinking about now. "Did they teach you the magic to give you wings?"

"A little," she admitted. "But when we returned to the group we had found that they had been captured by a local power monger, who had taken all of the medicine we had brought and was trying to sell it to the people who needed it the most. My new friends helped..._liberate_ Lirona and the other healers from the soldiers the leader had hired and took all of them down as well as him. Afterwards they distributed everything he had collected over the years as well as the medicine to all of the people."

"They sound like very nice people," Riku told her honestly. "People who would be willing to help you."

"For a price," Geni muttered under her breath. "I know...but I haven't seen them in several years our time, and over twenty years Realm time. The last time I saw them, it was for an...extended holiday."

"Like a few months for summer vacation?"

"Well...let's just say that it was longer than that," she told him, smiling.

"Wait...did you run away?" Riku asked her as his jaw dropped.

"No! It wasn't like that!" Geni had dropped his hand and was waving her arms wildly. "I just needed some space for a while –"

"Spoken like a true teenager," Riku said with a laugh. Geni "hmphed" and turned around, folding her arms across her chest in annoyance. "Oh, come on – I didn't mean it like that," Riku said, reaching his hand out to place it gently on her shoulder. "You're very mature for your age," he said in a serious voice. Geni tried to suppress a laugh, her body shaking as she tried to keep it in. "Oh, come on! Don't cry," Riku pleaded with her as he walked around to her front. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to hurt your feelings in any way."

It was at this point that she couldn't take it anymore, and Geni burst out in laughter. She doubled over, holding her stomach as a tear leaked out of her eye. "You...are just...too gullible," she said when she could take in a gasp of air, trying to curb her laughter.

Riku could only roll his eyes and sigh, before turning around and beginning to walk back towards where the others were resting. "Why am I always the butt of the jokes with her?" her muttered, forcing his lips to stop curving up in an amused smile.

"Wait! Riku, wait up!" Geni called, running after him. However, a shift in the sky above her stopped her in her tracks, gluing her face to the mountains behind her. The clouds had suddenly parted on the mountain, allowing a glimpse to the clouds which hid the summit. The storms had parted for the moment, and there weren't anymore in the immediate vicinity. The only darkened clouds that Geni could see were to the east and west of the Mount of Ease, and of course several very tall mountains separated from them as well. The way on the mountain had cleared, but who knew for how long?

"Riku!" Geni snapped, running forward. "We have to go – now!" She flew past him and towards the others.

"What? Why?" he said, dashing after her.

"The storms have cleared up, and I don't think we're going to get a better time than now to get a head start on the mountain, and finding that passage," she said, just as she reached the others. "We have to go. Grab your stuff and head towards the mountains," she told them, grabbing her pack. "The storms have cleared up earlier than I expected them to. This might be our only chance begin climbing and not having to worry about a snowstorm raining down on top of us."

"But we just sat down," Sora said, frowning. "Shouldn't we wait and watch a little while longer first? Just to make sure that it isn't some trick of the wind," he said, seeing Geni's anxious eyes land on him.

"No, I think not," King Mickey said, looking up at the mountains with Geni. "This might be our only chance to get a good head start up that mountain and to those passages before any of those storms force us to head back, or bunker down and hope for the best. Let's hurry everyone – we can't waste any more time." King Mickey set the example by quickly picking up his pack and making sure he had everything.

Kairi looked at Sora, seeing worry in his eyes, before he shook his head and began to gather his things. "Sora?" Kairi asked him as quietly as she could.

His deep ocean blue eyes landed on her, taking in her anxious expression. "We'll be fine," he told her with a large smile. "We had better hurry or we'll be left behind."

Kairi nodded, her worries assuaged for the moment. The two of them hurried to catch up with the others; they were already prepared and waiting in a group nearby. As Sora and Kairi jogged to join them, he overheard Geni saying "…might need the blankets, considering we don't have any winter gear with us. And I can't make any out of thin air, although I would like to. We'll have to do our best with what we can with them and warming spells. Donald, King Mickey – I know that the two of you know how to use them," she paused, turning towards the rest of the group, "but do any of you know how to use them?"

Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Goofy shook their heads. "I can blast fire, but that's about it," Sora said with a shrug.

"Same here," Riku added.

"I can't really use any magic," Kairi said.

"And neither can I, a-hyuk," Goofy finished.

Geni frowned. "Well, I think it would take too long to teach you the basic spell for it, so for now why don't we do this: if we must cast a spell, we'll make sure that it surrounds everyone, and uses a persons own magical resources to fuel it instead of one person. That way, it will surely last much longer."

"Sounds reasonable," King Mickey said. "Alright then – let's get a move on before those storms come back!" He turned around and began to lead the procession towards the looming mountain in the near distance with Sora and Kairi bringing up the rear.

It didn't take long for them to reach the base of the mountain, less than an hour at most. However…standing at the base of a mountain-shaped monster made even the stoutest hearts among them pause. All seven of them took in the enormous landscape blocking their path. "We really have to climb this, don't we?" Kairi said in a hushed voice.

"It's the only way," Geni replied, her voice thick with emotion. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, trying to control her slightly trembling fingers. However, a slight feathery sensation brushing across her left fingers surprised her, and she unclenched the fist. A warm hand slid into hers, squeezing it softly. Geni looked next to her, seeing Riku giving her a reassuring smile. "But once we're over the mountains, our destination is almost right there. So the faster we go over these oversized hills, the less we have to worry," she finished with a stronger smile.

"Good," Kairi said with a smile, lacing her own fingers into Sora's. "Let's get this over with then."

"I completely agree," Donald quacked in. "Can we get going already, or are we going to discuss this all day?"

"No, we're going Donald," Geni said, stepping forward and pulling Riku along with her. "Follow me everyone. And be careful – our biggest threat now is that storm coming back. We watch for the passages, and the storms."

"Right," Sora said, falling into line behind them alongside of Kairi. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy brought up the rear as they because to climb the steadily increasing slope of the mountain referred to as the Mount of Ease, the tallest in the range known as the Beast's Rest. Step by step, they passed silently through the ever thinning shrubbery under fewer and fewer trees. Even these trees began to shorten, their growth stunted by the cool weather of the mountain. Already the air had grown several degrees cooler, and every few minutes dropped some more. It was quickly becoming apparent that even only several hundred feet onto the mountain that they were no longer within the temperate realm of the ancient forest. And even older and more ancient power ruled this desolate land.

"Why is the air so cold? We just started to climb the mountain," Kairi said, running her hands up and down her arms.

"The ground is frozen solid for the entire year because of the storms that come down from up on the peaks," Geni explained, trudging forward as if the cold did not even bother her, which it probably didn't – at least not yet. "The temperature down in the forest was probably in the eighties; right now it has probably dropped to somewhere in the lower fifties already. The islands never get this cold, do they?" Geni asked Kairi with a laugh.

"No, they don't," Kairi said.

"How cold will it get…?" Sora said to his sister.

Geni shrugged. "I don't honestly know. We may get lucky and it won't fall lower than twenty degrees or so. Or…it may go below zero degrees and we'll have to find some kind of shelter before we end up turning into solid chunks of ice out here."

"Wonderful," Kairi muttered.

Geni bit her lip. "I'm sorry Kairi," she said softly as she walked forward.

Sora looked between them. "It's not your fault Geni," he said, patting her shoulder. "Here Kairi – wait a second." Sora shrugged his pack off of his arm while he was walking and pulled out one of Geni's heavy duty blankets. Opening it, he wrapped Kairi in it so only her head and her ankles were showing. "Better?"

"Much," Kairi said, pulling the blanket tight around her as they walked. "Thanks Sora."

"No problem," he said, grinning. "I think we've all had some experience with cold weather except for you. The Land of Dragons had those mountains we were climbing when we were fighting Shan Yu after all."

"That's right!" Goofy said. "And Mulan and Mushu caused that avalanche that took all those Heartless out for us." The four of them began talking animatedly about it, with Kairi asking the all sorts of questions.

Riku smiled, thinking back. That was the first time Sora had been to the Land of Dragons; Riku had meet him there the second time. Although he had never asked or brought the subject up – Sora really didn't need to know everything Riku had done in order to put him on the right path of taking down the Organization.

"Something funny?" Geni asked.

Riku turned his head to look at her. "I suppose," he said mysteriously, winking at her. By this time there were no trees along the invisible path up the mountain, just small green shrubs of life hanging on with vigor to what warmth the sun gave them. "How are you doing? You don't seem cold."

"I'm just more used to it than the rest of you. Don't forget – the capital still gets a winter every year, unlike the islands. So does the castle and Radiant Garden. I've had plenty of experience in cold temperatures."

"So I see," Riku said, poking her in her bare arm. Just then, a strong wind blew past them, making everyone stop mid-step and shiver. "Now that was chilling," Riku said, blowing his hair out of his eyes.

Geni looked up towards the sky. "The clouds are moving pretty fast, but we've still got plenty of time before any storms come our way. However, the wind might start picking up even more now that we're a decent way up the mountain." It was true – the seven of them in the hour or so they had been climbing had already passed the thousand foot mark of the mountain and were steadily climbing towards the unknown. "We should start looking for anything suspicious that could be the entrances to the passages in a while. As far as I can remember, the Mount of Ease is about twenty-thousand feet high, and a sloped ascent without any sheer cliffs. On the other hand, that means there isn't anything to shield us from the weather, mainly the snow and wind."

"Is there anything we can do?" Riku asked her, leaning into another blast of cold wind.

"Besides hurrying up, putting on a blanket, or using a warming spell? Not much. The only thing we can really do is try and find one of the passages Lirona told me about that goes through the mountains so we won't have to travel over them." Yet another blast of icy wind cut through the group. "Actually, it might slow us down a little, but to be on the safe side let's get out the blankets for everyone." Geni stopped and brought her pack around, digging inside of it. Everyone did likewise.

"But aren't we one short?" Sora asked her as he threw a blanket over his own shoulders.

"Yes, but I'll use a warming spell for now since I can. That way everyone has something," she said as she handed her blanket to King Mickey. Once she re-shouldered her pack, she clasped her hands together and whispered a few words. In seconds a translucent red bubble surrounded her. "Ah, much better," she told them. "Is everyone okay now?"

Six brown lumps against a gray landscape nodded. "This feels better already," Sora told her.

"Good. Let's keep going then," she told him as she began once again to climb up the steadily rising slope of the mountain.

Hours later, the group was beginning to really battle the wind around them. They tucked their heads down, Geni watching for any signs of change in the rocks around them. Even the scrubby little bushes were gone by now; the ground was cold and hard, the wind biting. Geni lead the way, using her arm to shield her eyes. Every so often she would look back and check on her friends and family, making sure that none of them lagged behind. The storms had inched closer to them, but were still a decent enough distance away that only the wind bothered them, and not the snow. But the wind was problem enough for them.

"Do you see anything yet?" Riku shouted into her ear, even though he was right behind her.

"Not yet!" Geni yelled back. The wind roared in their ears, making it difficult to hear even their own heartbeats. They had only one problem, however: they had not even traversed a fourth of the mountain's total height yet. The wind was so strong it was making it difficult to discern any differences in the land around them.

"How much higher until we start finding the passages?" Kairi stammered through chattering teeth. Sora had thrown his own blanket around her to protect both of them, but her skin was already very pale and her lips a faint shade of blue. He tried to share his body heat with her, to keep her warm. Of course, it wasn't Kairi's fault that she was the most unaccustomed the temperatures out of the group; she had never been anywhere besides the islands, Traverse Town, and The World That Never Was.

"I'm not sure," Geni shouted back. "No one has ever made a map of the mountains – least of all this one. Lirona told me she had gotten the knowledge out of some of the ancient books of the Royal Library – some which go back thousands of years."

"Are they even reliable then?" King Mickey yelled. "They might have collapsed or something during the time since it was written."

"I don't know," Geni told him with a frown. Was it her eyes playing tricks on her, or were the clouds moving even faster than they were a few minutes ago? She rubbed her eyes, checking. The clouds were in the same position as when she last checked.

"Are you alright?" Geni turned to see Riku with a worried look on his face.

"Yes, just checking –" but she stopped her sentence there. She felt something wet on her cheek. Bringing her hand up, she felt that the something was very cold. Looking at her hand, she was stunned to see several flakes of snow melting on her magically warmed hands. She jerked her head up to the sky, only to see the little white flakes everywhere. "Damn," she muttered. "Where are they coming from? The clouds –"

"Are right on top of us," Riku finished, staring up with her. Somehow, the clouds had raced across miles of mountains and were dumping their frozen contents upon the group without mercy. "But how?"

"Who cares how?" Donald shouted indignantly. "The question is, what do we do now? Geni?"

The six of them looked up at her, waiting for her to guide them to safety and warmth. They had all unconsciously formed a tight circle, trying to keep the winter-like storm out as best they could. She looked into each of their faces, seeing the trust they had placed in her. "We will...try and go around the mountain as much as we can, while still trying to find the passages. Hopefully by staying lower, we can avoid as much of the storm as we can."

"But what about Kairi?" Sora said. Geni looked at him, and how he was trying to keep Kairi as warm as possible. Even so, Geni could see her friend was suffering from the extreme cold.

"Here," Geni said, stepping forward. "Everyone, put your hands together." Shakily Kairi brought her numbing hands out from under the blanket followed by the rest. Geni wrapped her warm hands around her, whispering the spell, as other pairs of hands piled on top of hers. The red bubble that encased her slowly began to wrap itself around the entire group, until everyone's bodies were covered with a fine red sheen. "Better?"

Kairi blinked at the sudden heat that enveloped her. "Much!" she said with a bright smile. "But I can still feel the wind."

Geni shook her head. "Nothing I can do about that – the spell just warms everything that touches your skin and keeps in body heat. It also is supplied by your own power of magic – so the more magic you have, the longer it will last. When it runs out, there isn't really anything I can do about it. Sorry. How are the rest of you?"

"Pretty good yet, a-hyuk," Goofy told her. "We're lucky we have fur."

"And we're sort of used to this by now," Riku told her, motioning to himself and Sora. "Let's keep going as long as we can."

"We're tough," Sora told her with a grin.

"I hope so," Geni told him as the snow began to fall around them. "Let's go." The group broke up and Geni began to lead the way once again around the side of the mountain, or at least what they could see of it. Little did they know, however, that the storms upon the mountain were no ordinary storms. The reason why no one ever climbed the Mount of Ease or the rest of the Beast's Rest was because the area was prone to sucking all of the magic out of the people who tried to climb over them. And unbeknownst to the group, it was doing just that. What was even worse, though, was that instead of trying to walk in a parallel line around the side of the mountain, the group was actually still heading straight up towards the summit.

For hours the group held on, making their way to their unknown destination on the other side of the mountains. The snow also began to pile up around them, little by little at first, until they were ankle deep in the white stuff and sinking fast. The storms threw their worst at them, making it impossible for anyone to see more than several feet in front of them. The snow, combined with the slow setting of the sun, made everything appear phantasmal and ethereal. The wind blinded them with snow, even though the spells did their best to melt it before it could do any harm. Even so, the snow settled on top of the blankets covering them so they were indistinguishable from the rest of the barren landscape surrounding them.

Sora was helping Kairi along, trudging now through the almost knee deep snow, when he heard two thuds behind him. "Donald! Your majesty!" Goofy shouted, running back a little. He turned to see the two of them stuck in the snow, which was almost to their chests.

"We're fine Goofy," King Mickey assuaged him as he stood himself up. "It's just a little deep for the two of us."

"Well why don't you hop on my back?" Goofy suggested. "It'll be easier than walking."

"What about Donald?" King Mickey asked him.

"I can carry him," Riku offered. "Share the load."

"Well, if you don't mind," King Mickey said, looking embarrassed.

"Not at all. Come on Donald," Riku said, bending down.

"Ah, phooey," Donald said with a hint of red to his face. "Fine." He lumbered up and over the snow as best as he could and hopped up onto Riku's back, while King Mickey jumped up onto Goofy.

"At least you won't have to worry about falling behind now," Riku told him as Geni adjusted the blankets around the two of them.

"True," King Mickey said. "We don't want to slow anyone down, and we've still a long way to go."

"Well, you're pretty light, your majesty," Goofy told him honestly.

"You too Donald," Riku added, trying to be nice, even though Donald felt like an enormous Christmas turkey on his back.

"Can we just get this over with?" Donald moaned. "I feel like a game pheasant."

"Well, at least you aren't hanging upside down to a pole," Goofy pointed out.

"Thanks Goofy," Donald grumbled.

"No problem Donald!" he said, thinking Donald was serious.

"Um, we should probably go and find some shelter before the storm gets any worse," Geni said, trying to hurry them along. "If the snow is knee deep already for us, we won't last much longer if it gets any higher."

"We-we kn-now," Kairi said, stuttering.

Geni turned towards her, noticing the state her spell was in. "Kairi?" Geni asked, stepping forwards. "Kairi, do you feel alright?"

Kairi looked up at her, the red shine around her almost invisible. "It's getting colder," she admitted, looking down.

"The spell is wearing off already," Geni said anxiously. "Sora, you'll have to share your magic with Kairi for now. Do you remember?"

"Of course," Sora said, and instantly the red light surrounding the two of them flared for a moment before settling. "Better Kairi?"

"A little," she said, her body shaking a little.

Sora looked up at Geni, worry lines creasing his forehead. Geni nodded, unspoken words and agreement passing imperceptibly. "We have to really hurry now – if Sora's magic begins to fail too, Kairi won't last for long out here. Hurry everyone." Geni turned around, and they began the trek once again. This time, however, Geni was using her magic to sense the landscape around her and under her, trying to find any sign that there were passages and tunnels anywhere near them.

She held her arm in front of her eyes, trying to shield it from the blinding white that was beginning to swirl around them madly. Physically, Geni couldn't see more than five feet in front of her, and unbeknownst to her the snow was blocking her probes so she couldn't feel more than a hundred feet or so around her. Biting her lip hard, Geni once again heard the little voice inside her mind.

_I told you so, didn't I?_ it said to her with a smug attitude. _They'll all die before you go another hundred paces. The forest wasn't the only place with a consciousness around here._

_The whole world is alive; you don't have to remind me!_ she mentally shouted back. The voice hushed for a moment, but its words were ingrained into her mind now. _They'll all die before you go another hundred paces...they'll all die...all die...die..._

"Kairi! Kairi, wake up!"

Geni blinked and turned around. Sora was kneeling next to Kairi as she lay slumped against his shoulder, her skin an odd shade of pink mixed with a light blue. "Kairi, you can't fall asleep! Come on, you can make it some more!"

"Sora, pick her up," Geni commanded, stepping forward. Sora immediately scooped the shivering yet unconscious girl into his arms, and Geni quickly placed another spell around the both of them, making the red shine around them all the more apparent. "That will help a little."

"Thanks," Sora said, his teeth chattering a little.

"Not you too," Geni said, gritting her teeth.

"Sorry," he told her, shifting Kairi.

"It's not your fault. We just have to hurry." She turned away. _I won't let anyone else die. I promised myself that. This mountain can't beat us; there must be a passage around here somewhere._ "Let's keep climbing around the mountain. There must be somewhere out of the storm we can hold up in."

King Mickey looked over Goofy's shoulder, his big eyes half shut, but his forehead creased. He was one of the most influential beings in the universe, yet once out of his familiar surroundings he could do nothing to aide his foster daughter, who had done so much for them already but had also lost so much. He could not help but feel that she was rapidly descending into her old way of life; of taking all responsibility on her shoulders, of not fighting destiny, of feeling so defeated almost all the time that it weighed on her physically and mentally. Just then, he felt a tickle in his nose, and before he knew it he let out a large elephant sized sneeze. He tried to cover it, making it sound more like a snort cut short, but Geni heard anyway.

"King Mickey? Are you feeling cold too?" she asked, turning to face him as well, her eyes narrowing in concern through the swirling white.

"Just fine," he said, waving her off with a smile. "No matter what, we are all probably a little cold." King Mickey internally kicked himself because of the look that came upon Geni's face when he said that; she looked down, her jaw tightening. "But not that cold," he quickly added.

A smile never returned to her face after that, and barely a word was said except for warnings or more heating spells. The seven of them trudged along the side of the huge mountain as fast as they could, Geni all the while sensing for a place out of the storm and trying to keep her friends warm, using more and more magic with every passing minute. Of course, even though she had placed the spells on her friends so that they might drain off their own magic, it dwindled the group as a whole. With Kairi out cold in Sora's arms, and Donald and King Mickey slowly succumbing to the cold, it was all Sora, Riku, Geni, and Goofy could do to keep moving. And when the snow was up past their knees, the storm reared its ugly head in their faces.

A sharp wind picked up and the snow fell so heavily that barely any of them could move. Goofy tried pushing through with King Mickey on his back, but he could not push the wet and heavy snow out of the way and ended up falling down onto his face, King Mickey rolling off of his back and landing head first in the snow, burying himself up to his ankles. Hearing the two thumps, everyone looked back to see neither of them moving.

"King Mickey!" Geni shouted, reaching back towards him.

"I'll help them. Here, help Donald out," Riku instructed her over the roaring winds. The shivering duck was taken off of Riku's back and set in Geni's arms. Due to the snow, Donald was almost invisible in the land of white save for his blue shirt and hat and his yellow bill. He was also shivering like the rest of them were, now that the warming spells were beginning to weaken, no matter how many layers Geni put on all of them.

"Poor Donald," Geni whispered to herself, holding her longtime friend tight to her in order to share some body warmth.

"I'm fine," Donald grunted through his chattering beak. "I'm just...a little tired," he said, blinking slowly several times before they closed completely.

"No Donald! You have to stay awake!" Geni pleaded with him, but to no avail.

"Geni!"

Geni looked up to see Riku waving at her through the snow, but all she could see were several darkened lumps against the bright landscape. Carefully lifting Donald up, she walked back to where Riku was. Goofy and King Mickey were out cold as well due to the snow, and Sora was just about on his last bit of strength. He was kneeling in the snow, trying to keep a steady hold on Kairi.

"We can't stay out here any longer," Riku told her gently. "We have to find or make some shelter now or..."

"None of us will make it," Geni said softly, looking down at Donald. She shook her head. "Riku, help me gather everyone together." Geni went and laid Donald next to Goofy and King Mickey, while Riku was helping Sora to stand with Kairi. He didn't get far when Sora collapsed on his knees, gently dropping Kairi into the snow next to him. Geni trudged through the snow towards her brother, noticing the terrible state they were all in. Almost all of the warming spells had faded, leaving barely a lukewarm feeling around them. Most of the skin that she could see was a faint blue from the cold, including Riku's and her own. She shivered unconsciously, trying to think of what she could do. A cold hand on her arm made her look up. Riku was smiling at her, his skin a slight shade of blue made his platinum hair stand out more so than usual. And in this whitened and barren land, he looked more ephemeral than ever.

"Is there anything we can do?" he asked her.

Geni shut her eyes tight, thinking about everything she knew about the Beast's Rest and the Mount of Ease. The old passages from Lirona, the weather patterns all along the range, the myths and legends...wait! "There might be one chance," she said, looking up at him. "But it's a long shot."

"What?" he asked her, taking one of her hands in his own.

"There may be some...people living on the top of the mountain."

"Really?"

Geni shook her head. "It's only a legend from hundreds and hundreds of years ago. I just happened to read it one day while digging through some more of the obscure books in the library back in the capital."

"Then let's try it. Can we make it up the rest of the way carrying them somehow?" he said, gesturing towards their unconscious friends.

"I don't have much magic left, but what I do have I can use to try and teleport us there," she told him. "We have to group everyone together first, and then I'll try my best."

"It will work," Riku told her, standing up to gather his friends. He and Geni, as best they could, brought Sora, Kairi, Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey together into a pile. Because of the snow, wind, and cold, and of course the lessening of the magic on them because of their lack of it, they were pale and a light shade of blue. Their chests rose shallowly up and down, cold breath entering their slowly cooling bodies.

Geni did not know if Riku knew or not with his inexperience in dealing with the cold, but she knew by the looks of things that if she did not get her friends to safety they would not last another thirty minutes.

"Ready?" Riku asked her as he gently laid Donald next to Goofy.

"Yes," Geni said as she lingered over Sora's still form, watching his face for a moment. Standing up, she looked over at Riku. "You'll need to get next to everyone as well," she told him. "I need everyone as close together as possible."

"Okay," he replied, kneeling down next to King Mickey and looking at her expectantly.

Geni slowly walked around the group and kneeled down next to Riku, facing him. "I should never have brought any of you here…" she began slowly, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"No."

Geni looked up sharply. "What?"

"None of that talk now," he told her, looking into her eyes. "You can do this, and we all know it." He brought his hands up and grabbed her own. "I'll help you as much as I can – take what power you can from me."

"But you won't have any –"

"We'll be plenty warm and safe before it comes to that," he told her. He rubbed his thumbs over the tops of her hands gently, smiling at her. "Now, let's begin."

Geni looked at Riku, the cold slowly biting into her. Out of all of them, she was the least dressed for this type of weather with her asymmetrical top with no sleeves. Her own power was fading as well, and using even more power was ill-advised, even dangerous at this point. However, Geni placed aside her better judgment in order to save the lives of those she cared for and loved deeply. Bending her head down, she began to slowly intone a spell for protection first, forming a just big enough bubble around the seven of them. At that point, Geni began to shake a little from the exertion of putting out so much magic when she had so little left.

Riku took her shaking to be that of the cold, so he let go of Geni's hands and wrapped himself around her in a large hug, trying to keep her warm while she worked. He could feel the magic draining the warming spells from around all of them, and the cold began to bite into his back, arms, and legs. "Just keep going," he whispered into her ear as he covered the two of them.

Geni continued, oblivious. Once the bubble was complete, she began the long and arduous task of summoning up enough magic to transport them thousands of feet up the mountain and towards who knows where. As she did, her magic drained away faster and faster as the bubble around them began to glow brighter and brighter.

Riku shut his eyes against the even brighter white of the spell, holding Geni even closer to him. He could barely hear her chanting now, barely feel her against him, now that the warming spells were gone in place of her other spells.

On the other hand, Riku did feel the gut wrenching jolt when he felt his entire body suddenly pulled in an upward direction. He couldn't tell how fast he was going, but sufficed to say he knew he had left his stomach back where they had been before they took off. Faster and faster, the white light glaring through his shut eyelids, did they ascend the mountain. Seconds felt like hours, until suddenly Riku felt himself slam into the ground so hard it knocked the breath out of him, and knocked Geni out of his arms. He rolled a few feet either way, his body numb and sore.

Geni felt herself hit the ground and bounce away from Riku and into the deep snow drifts. As she rolled to a stop, she instinctively curled into a fetal position, hissing at the sudden pain her entire body seemed to be in. Needles pierced every inch of her skin, her muscles spasmed, and her insides churned as if in a blender. Forcing herself to open her eyes a crack, she could only see the snow piled around her and flying around her. It was so cold; she already felt frostbite biting at her fingers and toes. As best she could, she sat up slowly, grunting. Geni turned her head in semicircles searching for her friends. Her blood turned to ice when all she could see was a prone form several feet away with dark blue pants and a white, black, and yellow vest.

Crawling ever so slowly on her belly, Geni made her way to Riku. He was laying still, his face tilted away from her. As she reached him, she suddenly felt her insides clench; Geni threw up a small puddle next to Riku, the hot liquid steaming profusely in the bone chilling weather. Now utterly exhausted, she slumped down on the ground immediately next to him, unconscious and slowly freezing to death.


	28. What's Going On?

Chapter 27

"Mmm-mm-mmmm, mm-mmm-mmmmm, mm-mmm…mmm-mmmm-mmm mm-mmmm-mm mmm."

Riku came to slowly, his consciousness dredging itself up from the world of deep sleep. As he did, he could feel that his body was stiff, but very warm. He was lying on something extremely soft, and whatever was covering him was heavy. Slowly, he opened his aquamarine eyes, blinking several times.

"Awake, are you, young one?" a soft voice said from next to him, the humming momentarily stopping.

Riku slowly turned his head, his eyes trying to focus to get used to the little light that was in the room. He could only see darkness, except for a small flickering flame a few feet away from his head in the small room. However, what startled him the most was the being sitting next to him. "Who…what…?" Riku stumbled, but his tongue felt as heavy as lead and the rest of his mouth full of cotton.

"Here, drink this," the being said in a velvety voice, lifting up a stone cup to Riku's lips. "Drink slow, drink deep." In the light, large black claws extended several inches from the being's hairy paws. It used its other hand to gently cup Riku's head and help him sit up a little.

The liquid was hot, but not scalding, and rich and smooth as Riku drank it down. Once he had swallowed the entire contents of the cup, the being made a contented noise and helped him to lie back down. The liquid sent a pleasant warmth throughout his body, spreading through each limb and banishing the stiffness. Riku watched the being as it set the cup back down and turn once again towards him. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could see that the creature was a good five feet tall sitting next to him, so he assumed it must be much taller when standing. It was also covered with fine fur, covering it from head to toe. He could not see its face, although he got the impression the being was smiling at him.

"Feeling better, yes?" it asked him.

"Much," he told it truthfully. He felt so calm and complacent that his next thought jarred him that he sat up with a wild look in his eyes. "Wait! Where is everyone? Where's Geni? And Sora and Kairi? Where are the King, Donald, and Goofy? What happened –?"

"Shush; calm down, young one," the being said, leaning forward and placing a clawed hand on his shoulder and pressing him back down onto his makeshift bed. "Your friends are in good health. Our protector almost took all of you, had we not felt you arrive so suddenly at our…what is the word? The entrance to our home," it said, waving a claw around.

"Your protector?" Riku asked, confused.

"The mountain," it explained. "We live on the top of the mountain, and it protects us with the cold and snow. He also gave us our fur to protect ourselves from his protection as well, so we could travel where we please on him. We had been thinking why the storms had come back so suddenly, and you explain that."

"Oh," Riku said in response to the partial explanation. "I'm sorry – I didn't realize we were trespassing."

"No, no. It is fine. We do not get many visitors like we used to, so it is enjoyable to have you and your friends as guests with us for this while."

"What…happened, exactly?" Riku asked the creature.

"A ground shaking outside of our homes. When we went out to the cold to find out, we found the seven of you scattered across the mountainside. Very cold, all of you were. One of the oldest said that was not a good feel for humans," it said, laughing a deep throated laugh. "We brought you inside our home, and have been caring for you since."

"How long?" Riku asked, biting his lip.

"Not long," the being replied, giving a gesture resembling a shrug. "Only two eatings and one sleeping. Most of the others are awakened and eating with some of the young ones."

"Most?"

"…yes. The one girl who brought you here, she is still sleeping, and will be for another sleeping yet. Maybe longer," the creature added, sounding worried.

"Geni?" he said, sitting up quickly.

"If that is her calling, then yes," the being replied. "Do you feel well enough?"

"Yes. May I go see everyone…um…?"

"I do not have a calling in your language, young one," it replied, laughing. "And my calling cannot be uttered in a language that uses words."

"Oh," Riku replied, confused.

"Your thinkings are scattered," the creature said to him gently. "If it may help, we do not have a calling for us, or for our people. Do you have a calling you wish to describe us? Only one of our kind has ever been given a calling, but that was long ago by another young human girl."

"What did she call you?"

"She gave the calling Aunt Beast to the one of us who is with your Geni now. Walk with me, and we will go and watch your friends." The creature stood up, unbending its legs. Riku had been right – the creature was at least seven feet tall or more when it stood, its large girth taking up most of the small room. It had picked up the small candle and was holding it in its large paw. "Follow," the being said, turning around. Riku slowly stood up, feeling refreshed and quite warm. He saw that he was still in his clothes, but his shoes had been removed, leaving him in his socks. He looked around for a moment before he saw two dark lumps near where the candle had been. He quickly reached for them and slid them on his feet, before walking towards the door where the creature waited patiently for him. "Please watch your feet," it told him as it began to walk forward.

The room they had been in had no door, but a narrow hallway that soon branched out into a large corridor. There were no lights, just the small candle the beast held. As the two of them moved forward, Riku could hear murmurings as they passed entrances to other hallways. It was similar to the humming that he had heard upon waking, but it was so much more than that. It was music, but it was not being sung or played on an instrument either.

"This way," the creature said as it turned left down a large corridor. This time, Riku could see some light at the end of the hall. After a few paces, the hall opened up into an enormous cavern with many long stone tables. More creatures were eating at them, but much smaller than the one who had been leading him. To his joy and dismay, he saw all of his friends sans Geni sitting at a table and eating at the far end. His guide led him over to them, and as they approached, Sora looked up and happened to see him. He jumped off of the stone chair he had been sitting on, and raced over towards him.

"Riku!" he cried, hugging his friend.

"Good to see you too Sora," Riku said, returning the gesture. He had been worried about all of them and the effects of the snow and cold, but all six of them looked healthier than ever. In the light from the many candles on their table, he could see they were all pink, and everyone had all of their limbs still attached and healthy. "What's going on?" he said, gesturing around.

"We were rescued," Sora said, grinning from ear to ear. "They found us on the mountain and brought us inside to warm us up. At least, that's what they told us," he told him truthfully. "I don't really remember much of anything. What happened Riku?"

"We couldn't find shelter, and all of our magic was failing. Geni told me about a legend she had read about people living on top of the mountain, so she used the last of her magic and mine to teleport us up most of the mountain. And by the looks of things, we made it."

"It was dangerous to do so," a deep bass voice said from behind him.

Riku turned around to see another creature, but one whose fur had gray strands peppering the brown. It was really the only difference besides the voice that could tell him apart from the rest of the creatures. In the light, Riku could now see that all of them had brown fur covering their entire bodies except for their claws. Even their faces were so obscured that Riku could not see any facial features. "What was dangerous?" he asked him.

"Your group should not have tried to traverse the mountain. Why did you not go around it, like all of the other humans do?" it asked him, staring at them.

"We couldn't," King Mickey said, standing up on the stone stool he had been sitting on. "We are…being pursued by people sent from the capitol."

"I see. You must be the ones that have caused our protector to stir recently, due to the flying machines."

"Stir?" King Mickey asked.

"Our protector has told us of the flying machines that fly around his sons and daughters, the ones looking for a group who have done terrible things. He has told us of the passing on of the Queen, and we are saddened to hear of it. We also can feel that the girl who is yet sleeping is from there, and she has played a large role in it."

"It is true," King Mickey told them. "Her name is Genevieve, and she was the Crown Princess, or so we were told."

The creature nodded. "My thinkings are becoming clearer now. We have been asked by our protector to keep you warm and safe until you are all well, and then to guide you to the other side of him. It is his wish that you stay for as long as two more sleepings, and no more."

"We are very grateful," King Mickey told it. "May I ask you, how is Geni doing?"

"The other human girl is very weak and ill right now. The one of our group known as Aunt Beast is with her now, and is sing healing her as we are talking. You may see her once you are done with the eating, if you wish."

"Thank you, we will," Sora piped in before King Mickey could say anything.

The creature paused, his body turning towards Sora. "You and the girl, you are two parts of one, correct?" it asked him.

"What?" Sora replied, looking baffled.

"I think he means twins," Kairi said, whispering to him.

"Oh, uh, yeah – we are," he told him.

"I could tell – your feel is very similar," the creature said with a laugh.

"Our feel?" Sora asked him.

"Ah, you could not tell?" the being asked him. "We are like you, yet not like you. We speak, but not with words. We see, but not with eyes." To prove his point, he brushed away some of the fur across where his face would be, only showing a slightly pointed noise and smiling lips, but no eyes, eyelids, or eyelashes for that matter.

"You're blind?!" Sora said incredulously.

"We see different; we see with our touch, our smell, our taste, our hearing. Sometimes the most beautiful melodies cannot be seen on a page, but felt within and without," he said enigmatically. "Your other part of you knows this well."

"Geni does?" Sora asked, walking up to the huge creature. "How?"

"That is her story to tell," he told him. "Now, please finish with your eating. You all must rest and make your bodies good again."

"Thank you, for all of this wonderful food," Kairi said politely.

It was at that point that Riku noticed what was on the plates and within the bowls and cups on the table. Whatever it was, it didn't look very appetizing at all; most of it was solid gray lumps, runny gray liquids, or thick gray liquids. Riku couldn't smell any of it either, although he got the distinct impression that there was something he was missing about the food.

"You are welcome," he told her. "Now, we must go. We will see you after sleeping." He immediately turned and slowly lumbered off, followed by a slightly shorter creature.

"I wonder what that was all about," Riku murmured aloud.

Sora shrugged. "Like everything else, we'll know when Geni wakes up. Now come and eat – this stuff is amazing!" he said, pulling Riku by the arm towards the table.

"Are you sure?" the tall boy said, crinkling his nose.

"Trust us – it tastes a lot better than how it looks, a-hyuk," Goofy said, taking a swig of the gray liquid in a stone cup in front of him and smacking his lips.

"If you say so," Riku replied, sitting down in between Kairi and Sora.

Kairi immediately put a plate of gray pieces of something in front of him. "Try these – they're absolutely amazing," she told him, popping one from her own plate into her mouth. "Mmm, so good," she purred.

Riku picked up a blob of gray with his fingers, looking at it curiously. He sniffed it, but he couldn't smell anything familiar or even odd about it. Carefully, he placed it in his mouth. A wondrous taste exploded on his tongue, something he had never tasted before, but was one of his favorite foods. It was unique, distinctive, indescribable. "What is this?" he said, quickly taking another piece and popping it into his mouth.

"We don't know," King Mickey told him. "Everything here is meant for every sense but that of sight. Our hosts are like no race that I have ever encountered before. They live such simple lives, but they are so much more complicated than that. Their true language isn't spoken; I've seen them making some kind of sound, like singing, but it is so quiet I can barely hear it."

"The one who was with me was doing that when I woke up," Riku said, turning towards the king. "It was humming some kind of song, but it sounded so natural coming from it."

"They make it sound so wonderful," Kairi said dreamily as she took another bite of the bland looking food.

"I wonder if Geni knows anything –" Sora began, but stopped mid-sentence when he felt himself poked in the back with something very pointy. Turning around he saw one of the creatures, who was closer in size to them, standing behind him. "What is it?" he asked the creature.

"Hoo-mun. Cume." The creature's voice was soft and feminine, but the words were mispronounced and childlike.

"Where to?" Sora asked the creature as he got up. "Are we all going?"

The creature nodded. "Folloo. All." It gestured towards the entire group. "Watch gurl."

"We're going to see my sister?" Sora asked the creature excitedly.

The hairy being nodded again before turning around and lumbering back down between the tables towards a large hole in the wall which was meant for a door. Sora and Riku each grabbed a lamp off of the table and the six of them quickly followed after the smaller creature, leaving the rest of their monochrome meal unfinished. It walked down twisting hallways, turning left and right so many times they lost count. However, as they turned right yet again, a beautiful yet haunting voice was suddenly heard all around them, coming from everywhere and from nowhere all at once.

"What is it?" Kairi whispered, straining her ears to hear the soft voice.

"Is it one of the creatures singing?" King Mickey assumed out loud.

The little being beckoned for them to follow. "Momma," it told them, pointing ahead.

"Your mother?" Riku asked it as they began to walk down the hall once more. As they did, the music began to get a little louder. After about thirty paces, they came to another opening. When Riku and Sora stepped in with their lamps to illuminate the space, they were greeted with the sight of an enormous creature that had its back turned to them. The smaller being made a happy sounding hum before lumbering towards the other being and sitting down beside it.

"Welcome humans. Please, come and sit down." The creature spoke flawlessly in their own native language in a pleasantly lilting voice as it paused in its singing, before returning to its previous objective.

Sora carefully walked around the creatures with his lamp, not wanting to cause undue concern about fire hazards. As he did, he noticed a sandal covered foot sticking out from under the beast's arm.

"Geni!" Sora said happily, rushing around to bring the light. As he did, he was taken aback by his sister's physical appearance. "Is she alright?" Sora asked, kneeling down and reaching his hand out towards her, his voice suddenly filled with worry and concern.

"She will be alright soon enough, little one. Right now she needs healing and rest, which is what I am giving to her." The creature used one of its long black claws to gently brush a strand of hair off to the side of Geni's sweat covered forehead.

Geni looked the part of a complete mess; her clothes where disheveled, and most of the extra clothing she had been wearing had been taken off – her embroidered paneled skirt, her blue sash from the music branch, her arm bracelets, the collar she always wore around her neck, her side purse. Wearing only her asymmetrical top, ballooned pants, and sandals, she lay curled up in the creature's lap. Her face was covered in sweat, her eyes dashing all around underneath her purple lids, as she lay curled against the creature's chest as any child would to its mother. Her breathing was short and slightly labored, and her fingers clutched Aunt Beast's fur with great ferocity, turning her knuckles white.

"She doesn't look alright," Sora mumbled angrily as he sat down right in front of Aunt Beast and let the lamp clatter to the floor next to him.

"She does not feel alright," Aunt Beast agreed. "However, she used too much of her power to save you – she almost killed herself in doing so. Although…if she had not relied on the power of your friend –" Aunt Beast said as she gestured to Riku "– you would have all died a slow and freezing death on the mountain. We would not have found you for many wakings if she had not." Aunt Beast brought her long claws down to stroke Geni's forehead, making her whimper slightly in her sleep.

Upon hearing this, Sora immediately pushed himself forward, reaching a hand out towards his sister.

"Sora, wait!" Kairi said, pulling him back.

"But –!" Sora protested, his heart and mind in conflict.

"Geni's doing fine; all she needs is rest, remember?" Kairi told him gently, pulling on his arm and helping him sit back down.

_This twin thing is annoying at times,_ Riku grumbled to himself. Of course he was worried about Geni – but when she wasn't awake to check her own emotions and therefore put a check on Sora's, mayhem and foolishness abounded en masse. Riku knew that the link that she and Sora shared allowed them to feed off of each other's emotions, and that the dominant emotion would take over the other twin at times. "How long will she need to rest?" Riku said, sighing as Sora pouted next to Kairi.

"At least another sleeping and waking yet," Aunt Beast told him hopefully. "Much strain was put on her body, but what I am worried about the most is how fragile her mental state is right now."

"Her mental state?" King Mickey piped up, looking alarmed.

Aunt Beast nodded her great head. "Her mind is jumbled with emotions: sadness, anger, hatred, wariness, guilt, but also friendship, camaraderie, and love. She doesn't know what to feel, or how she should be feeling, about many things. Tell me, what has happened to make her like this?"

The group looked down as they sat there, saying nothing. The littler creature shifted due to the silence, looking warily up at its mother.

"It is…very bad then, I believe?" Aunt Beast said softly, hugging Geni a little closer to her.

"In short," King Mickey began, looking up, "we are on the run from the capitol because they believe we are the ones responsible for murdering Queen Hisako and Madame Lirona and many of their guards."

Aunt Beast was silent, pondering the king's words. After a few minutes, she spoke quietly. "It is…worse than I had thought. Tell me, what do you know of the power of the monarchy of this land?"

"Besides ruling over everyone? Not much," Riku told her.

"Nothing more than the usual duties of a monarch," King Mickey said in agreement. "Why do you ask?" he added out of curiosity.

"It is not important. However, you should know that the ruling monarchy of the capitol is the absolute power in this Realm. It holds the power over every race, every person, that live on the earth. Even us," she told them. "Our people and the humans may not have spoken or interacted for hundreds of years, and our awareness of each other may have grown dim, but the Queen knows – excuse me, _used_ to know – about us and every other secret there is to know, save for those that have yet to be discovered…which are few and far between."

"Which also means that there could be more to this situation than we know," Riku said quickly.

"Donovan might be after something more than power over the people then," Donald put in.

"But what kind of power is greater than an absolute monarchy or dictatorship?" King Mickey mused.

"A weapon?" Goofy asked him.

"Maybe. But it would have to be either really big or really deadly to have to go through all of this to get it," Sora pointed out.

Just then, Geni began to mumble and curl up on herself, burrowing into the stomach of Aunt Beast.

"What's wrong with her?" Sora immediately asked, leaning forward.

"A bad dream, it seems," Aunt Beast said. She quietly resumed humming the melody she had been singing when the group had entered the room. Almost shyly, the smaller creature joined in, creating a beautiful harmonious lullaby. The group listened in silence to the song, noting how Geni relaxed and calmed within Aunt Beast's great arms. As her breathing evened out once more and she fell into a deeper sleep, Aunt Beast softened her humming until she stopped completely. "Better," she said quietly. Looking up, she gazed at each one of them in turn. "What will you do once you leave here?" she asked all of them in a serious tone of voice.

"Well...we were going to meet some friends of Geni's," Sora said first. "She said they lived beyond the mountains."

Aunt Beast chuckled, her voice pealing like bells. "Ah, now your coming to our mountain makes sense now – considering that she would not have wanted to take an airship or the waterways. When she does awaken and the seven of you travel to the other side of the mountains, you should reach them within the day of leaving us."

"Who are _they_ anyway?" Donald quacked indignantly. "Geni hasn't said anything to us about it."

"She said they were pimerchants," Riku told him. Everyone suddenly swung their heads to look at him. "According to what Geni told me, they're merchants who fly the airships around here, going from town to town. Apparently her friendship with them goes back to her childhood."

"Pimerchants?" Aunt Beast said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I see."

Suddenly, the little creature stood up and cocked its head, as if listening. "Momma, sleeping time."

"Where did the hours go?" Aunt Beast sighed, very human-like. "It is time to rest for the day. My little one will show you to your sleeping area, and will awaken you for the next waking. Hopefully your sister will be better and awake by then," she told Sora, smiling at him from under her immense amount of fur.

"Wait...it's time to go to sleep already?" Sora said, looking confused. But we only got up to eat like two hours ago."

Aunt Beast laughed. "More time has passed than you think, young one. Now go – please rest easily tonight and do not let yourselves worry about your sister or the days ahead. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Aunt Beast – and thank you," Sora told her as he stood up and grabbed the candle. The little creature was waiting for them by the hole in the wall which was the entrance into the space. Sora paused, kneeling down, and gave his sister's hand a quick squeeze.

"Feel better soon," he murmured to her, before standing up. Kairi took his hand and the two of them walked to the door. King Mickey did the same, patting her arm. Riku, on the other hand, hung back as the rest of his friends walked towards the door. He looked down at Geni and back at the doorway several times in uncertainty.

"What is the matter, young one?" Aunt Beast asked him quietly. "You are in conflict with yourself."

"Riku?"

Riku turned around to see Sora looking at him with a questionable expression.

"Riku will be one moment, young one. I wish to speak with him alone," Aunt Beast called to Sora.

"Okay, we'll meet you later," Sora said, waving before turning and walking back down the darkened hallway in chase of the rest of the group.

As Riku turned back around to face Aunt Beast, she said, "Sit down in front of me, young one." Riku obediently sat down facing Aunt Beast, watching Geni's chest shallowly rise and fall with each deep breath. "Now, speak. What is troubling you?"

Riku looked down at his feet. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I don't know what to do anymore."

"In relation to what?"

"I...I used to be the one in charge, back when we were on the islands, before we all became Keyblade Masters. And even though I've made plenty of mistakes, and tried to learn from them all, it seems like ever since I came to this Realm that everything I've ever known has been questioned, and everyone I knew isn't the same as I thought they were."

"Your friend's past, the one she has not told you about," Aunt Beast confirmed.

Riku nodded. "What should I do? My heart is telling me to trust Geni and what she isn't telling us, but my head is telling me to turn around and go back home even if I have to drag her back unwillingly with me."

"The first question you must ask yourself is this: has she ever been wrong before when helping or guiding you?"

"Well, not exactly…I guess. I mean, there have been times where she hasn't told me the entire truth or done something foolish to get herself hurt, but she's never been outright in the wrong."

"Then the next question is: do you trust her?"

Riku fell silent. "I guess…"

"No. I mean, do you absolutely trust her from the bottom of your heart, soul, and mind and believe that she would never consciously lead you falsely?" Aunt Beast asked, clipping the ends of her words slightly.

"…I, I don't know," Riku told her honestly.

"Good."

"Good? Why is that good?"

"If you had been blindly going along and trusting wherever she had been taking you, you would be a fool. No matter how close you are to someone, if you can't disagree with them or argue with them, you are just an innocent little human waiting to be devoured by some larger predator." Aunt Beast laughed her ringing laugh. "Now, that is not to say that the young one is leading you wrongly. I agree with her decisions thus far, and I believe she is leading you in the right direction. Just remember to question her judgment every so often to keep yours and hers common sense and caution on their toes. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" she asked him.

"I think so," he replied slowly. Geni turned over in her sleep, mumbling incoherently as her fingers gripped the fur on Aunt Beast's arms. Riku smiled a bit, studying the innocence upon her face as she slept. "In other words, Geni may not always be right, and we should step in if we disagree with her?"

"In some words," Aunt Beast said, smiling underneath her fur. "Now, would you like to try?"

"Try what?" Riku said, blinking at the sudden turn in conversation.

"Sing healing, of course. What do you think I've been doing this whole time? Talking? Now, come sit closer to me."

Hesitantly Riku moved even closer to Aunt Beast, so close he could feel the softness of her fur if she moved a little. "Now what?" he asked her.

"Take her," she said to him gently, gathering Geni up in here large arms and lifting her off of her lap, supporting her neck with one arm and under her knees with her other. She leaned forward and Riku awkwardly took Geni from her; Riku almost gasped when he felt how light she was. He knew from before how light she was, considering what a lead weight her brother seemed to be, but at the moment she almost felt transparent as he shifted her weight and laid her down on his lap, cradling her against him.

Geni murmured quietly in her restless sleep, her fingers finding purchase on Riku's shirt and balling it up in her fingers. She was also feverishly warm, and sweat glistened on her face and neck, her spikes hanging limply around her face. "What's wrong with her?" Riku whispered, mimicking Sora's own questioning. "Why is she so…?"

"So sick? So light? It is because she used up too much of her power, because she almost crossed into a place the living cannot follow until it is their proper time. She was so close to death that we had a difficult time singing her back to us," Aunt Beast confided in Riku softly.

"I didn't realize," Riku murmured, his hold on Geni tightening.

"She tried very hard to come back on her own; she said she had unfinished business yet, and her family would not let her cross over either," Aunt Beast told him.

"Wait, you spoke to her?" he said, looking up with large eyes. "But I thought –"

Aunt Beast shook her large head. "No, I only spoke briefly to her mind when we were singing her back. However, it appears that those she lost were making sure that she did not join them prematurely. Are they a part of her unfinished business?" she inquired of Riku.

"If it means bringing justice to the murders of the Queen and Madame Lirona, then probably. Geni was pretty upset over them – and I guess that's why we're going to visit her friends beyond the mountains; she said they can help bring justice to them because we couldn't do it alone."

"No, that is true," Aunt Beast thought out loud. "Tell me, what do you know of the people beyond the mountains?"

"The pimerchants? Only that Geni visited them a long time ago with Madame Lirona, and that's when she became friends with them. Oh, and that she spent a long holiday with them not too long ago. Beyond that, no names, places, or faces for that matter."

"Then I will not say anything further. They are a matter for you to ask her about, not myself." Aunt Beast lumbered to her feet. "Now, I need to eat myself. I will be back soon enough, so do not worry." She began to lumber away when Riku called after her.

"Wait! What am I supposed to do?" he called to her.

"What your heart tells you to do," she said over her shoulder before she walked down the dark tunnel and was gone, leaving Riku along with one small candle and Geni sleeping in his arms.

"Well, now what?" he said to empty air, sighing. Looking down at Geni, he smiled as she slept. "At least one of us isn't worried," he told her softly. "I wonder what Aunt Beast meant by sing healing, anyway. She wasn't singing except for when we first got here, and when you started having a bad dream of some kind."

…_sings with the heart…a song of the heart…_

Riku suddenly looked around, hearing the voice speaking. Of course, there was no one there, and even with Riku's practiced senses, he did not sense anyone anywhere near the two of them. "Great, now I'm hearing things," he joked aloud to himself. Still, he thought about what the voice said. _A song of the heart? Didn't Sora mention that once before?_ Riku thought hard, thinking back to when they had all finally returned to the islands after their ordeal with Organization XIII. Sora had been telling Riku of how he had first meet Geni, after he, Goofy, and Donald had woken up in the basement of the old mansion outside of Twilight Town, where the gate to The World That Never Was, was.

_That's it! Sora had mentioned using Geni's old journal and something about closing his eyes. What was the rest of it?_ Riku scrunched up his forehead, trying to think. After Geni shifted in his arms yet again, he closed his eyes in frustration. Suddenly, his ears were bombarded with music from all around him. Riku jumped, his eyes flying open. The music was gone. "What the hell was that?!" he said out loud, looking around, as if to surprise someone by his outburst. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and there still wasn't anyone around. "Sora, come on out. Stop playing games," Riku called down the darkened hall. No one emerged, and no footsteps were heard scurrying away either. _Well, if not Sora, what was that?_ he thought to himself.

Looking around first, he then concentrated, and slowly closed his eyes. Once again the music began, but much more easily than before, as if it wanted him to hear it. There weren't any instruments, but hundreds of voices raised in song. Some were soft, and some were quite loud; others were a deep bass, while some had a trembling soprano. What surprised Riku, however, was that he could tell there were two songs coming from the room he was sitting in; one in a quiet tenor, the other slightly louder but obviously much higher in voice. He couldn't discern what the voices were singing either, because none of the voices sang with words – only emotion, as far as he could tell.

Opening his eyes, Riku was startled to see a face of fur staring at him from several inches away from his nose. "What did you hear?" Aunt Beast asked him softly.

"Everything," Riku wheezed out, not realizing he had been holding his breath. "But...nothing too. No words at all – I couldn't tell what I was listening to."

"But what did you _feel_?" Aunt Beast said, emphasizing her last word carefully.

"What do I feel?" Riku repeated. "I don't know. Am I supposed to feel something after listening to that?"

Aunt Beast sighed and shook her head. "Never mind young one. It is late – I suggest you go and get some rest with your companions before the waking comes upon you sooner than later. I will take care of your friend until she is well." Aunt Beast reached out with her long hairy arms and gingerly took Geni from Riku's hold. She smiled – Geni was breathing slowly and deeply, the redness of her face already diminishing. She was quiet and slumbering in a deep sleep, unlike she before she had left her with Riku to go and get some nourishment. Unconsciously, Geni was also reluctant to give up on Riku; one of her hands had bunched up the fabric of his vest in her hand, taking a few gentle pulls to make her let go.

Riku watched her warily, before standing up. He wobbled shakily, and Aunt Beast quickly used one of her arms to steady him. "Go and rest, young one. She will be fine soon enough."

Riku nodded, picking up the candle, and turned to go. However, he paused, resting his hand on the wall next to the exit, before turning back. "Thank you," he said to Aunt Beast quietly, before turning and walking back out.

"No, thank _you_," Aunt Beast murmured back once he was out of earshot. Looking down, she whispered, "I told you so." Geni smiled slightly in her sleep, as if she could hear her.

Riku walked down the hall to find the smaller creature who had led them there waiting for him. He didn't see the rest of his friends, but he assumed they were waiting for him somewhere. "Let's go," he told it.

The small creature nodded, and turned around and padded off in a different direction than the way they had come earlier.

Hours later, the group lay sleeping soundly in one of the many stone rooms within the mountain. Goofy and Donald were snoring loudly, as usual, with King Mickey sticking his head under a pillow. Sora and Kairi lay next to each other in blissful silence; it had taken Kairi much effort to get Sora to settle down after seeing his sister sick yet again. Once she had, Sora had drifted right off to sleep with her not far behind. Riku, on the other hand, had lain staring at the ceiling ever since he had come back, pondering Aunt Beast's words. He had also tried hearing the music again, but every time he closed his eyes he could only hear the noises around him and nothing more.

He finally turned and lay on his side, staring at the wall this time. _Grr. Well, this isn't working. I wonder what time it is._ Riku had noticed that there weren't any clocks around, yet there were always specific times when everyone ate, went to sleep, or woke up – like they all had some kind of internal alarm clock. And his was telling him to sleep, but his active mind wouldn't let him. However, he suddenly heard shuffling of large feet enter the room. On instinct, he suddenly sat up and began to withdraw his Keyblade, but to his surprise it was the little creature from before. "What's the matter?" he asked it in a quiet voice.

The little creature daintily moved between the sleeping bodies, showing grace that looked unlikely in a creature their size, and held out a cup to Riku. "Momma says drink," the creature replied in an equally soft voice. "Help with sleeping."

Riku hesitantly took the cup from the creature, bringing it closer to his face. He looked down, unable to see what color it was or its thickness due to the small amount of light in the room. He sniffed it, not smelling anything pleasant or terrible either. Cautiously, he opened his mouth and took a small sip. A rich mixture of chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, and an unknown flavor exploded in his mouth. He quickly downed the rest of it, enjoying every last taste, until he finished the cup with a loud slurp. Handing it back to the creature, Riku said, "That was delicious. What was it –" But before he could utter another word, he felt his eyelids droop and his body become extremely heavy, his arm unable to hold up the small cup any longer. He fell backwards with a thud and landed on the pillow and blanket he had been using, the cup rolling out of his hands and onto the stone floor. Before his eyes closed for the last time, he saw the little creature kneeling over him, pulling the blanket over him.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Riku groaned, hearing a higher pitched voice jumping around in excitement around him. "5 more minutes," he mumbled, his mouth feeling like it was full of cotton.

"No, NOW!" Whoever it was who had been talking suddenly jumped on top of Riku's stomach, knocking what little air he had drudgingly sucked in out again.

"Oomph!" he said, opening his eyes. An even smaller creature than the one he had seen yesterday was sitting on him, looking at him impatiently. It was only slightly larger than King Mickey, except it looked just like the rest of the creatures who inhabited the mountain. Riku blinked a moment before remembering the elixir that the other creature had given him had knocked him right out. He looked around, but didn't see any of his friends. He gave another "oomph" as the creature jumped up and then back down on top of him to get his attention.

"Up now! Up now! She up too!"

That caught Riku's attention. "Who's up too?" he asked the creature as he tried to sit up.

The creature rolled off of him and bounded around the room, clearly too energetic for Riku that early in the morning, or whatever time it was. "She up! Sings like us is up!"

"Wait...Geni's up?" Riku said, shocked. "Already? She looked horrible last night."

"Geh-nee?" the creature repeated, cocking its head to the side in confusion, as it paused. "Sings like us?"

"Um, yeah – I guess she does. Sure, she sings like you do."

"Yes! Come on, go see!" the little creature bounded towards him and pulled on his arm.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Riku told the impatient little creature. He got out from under the blankets and put on his shoes as quickly as he could and straightened out his clothes. He scratched his itchy arms; not being able to change your clothes for several days was not one of the pastimes he had hoped to participate in on this trip. "Alright, now where's Geni?"

"Follow," the creature said as it dashed off down the dark hallway. Riku grabbed the last candle and followed after it as quickly as he could without putting the small flame out. It dashed around corners and down long hallways, and after a while Riku gave up yet again trying to figure out where they were. He thought they had passed the eating area again, hearing many voices, but he could have been mistaken. After several more turns, Riku could suddenly see a light coming from the end of the hallway. As they went down it, it became brighter and brighter until Riku stepped forth into an enormous room filled with a blinding radiance that he had to cover his eyes from being in the dark for so long, even with the candles.

Shading his eyes with his hand, in seconds he began to discern shapes and objects around him. Deciduous plants of all shapes and sizes were neatly spread throughout the large room in their dark brown pots. Several large trees even sprang up in random places, throwing shadows amidst the blinding rays. On the other hand, in the center of the room, were hundreds of flowers growing in all colors of the rainbow. They also came in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and height. However, as Riku lowered his hand, the words that Riku were about to say fled his mouth and his mind. The little creature also became still and silent next to him, as if waiting for some unseen and unknown cue.

The bright room was actually an enormous green house, with thousands of triangular pieces of glass creating the dome above them and channeling the much needed warmth and sunlight to the plants. Looking ahead, one could see out over the snow covered mountainside and down the slopes all around them. For the most part the clear blue sky stretched into infinity before them, parted by small, white, fluffy clouds.

Standing in front of the window was a small human girl whose hair hung in a thick long braid to the center of her back. She was simply adorned in a light brown asymmetrical top, with the fabric congregating over her left shoulder, as if to conceal her heart. Her pants puffed slightly at the bottom near her ankles, leaving her bare feet exposed to the warm tiled floor. She wore no other jewelry or adornments, yet her presence exuded such calm and complacency with her place in the world. As she turned, her eyes told a different story - her spiky brown hair parting to reveal deep ocean blue orbs.

"Hello Riku. Did you have a good rest?"


	29. Arrival

Chapter 28

"Will you stop doing that?" Riku grumbled, turning his eyes away from her to look through wall of windows to his left, the flame of the candle in his hand wavering slightly.

"Stop what?" Geni asked, turning fully to face him.

"The whole panicking everyone routine you seem to get yourself into time and again," he clarified calmly, continuing to look out the window. "You seem to be in a habit of doing that lately."

"Oh, sorry," she told him a little sheepishly. She stood tall on her tip toes and stretched her arms high above her. "Although that long nap felt wonderful. How long have we been here?"

"Two days, maybe more. It's hard to tell here."

"Oh! That long?" she asked him, stepping forward. Her bare feet flapped quietly against the tiled floor as she came to stand in front of him. "Did you keep yourself entertained?" Riku was silent, his eyes trained on the fluffy white clouds passing them by outside. "Riku?" Geni asked again, bending down to look up at him through his wall of hair. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked him quietly.

Riku shifted his eyes to take in her inquiring face. He saw the innocence there, just like Sora's – the innocence of never considering your own actions, never considering your own safety until everyone around you was safe as well. "You almost died," he whispered, almost accusingly. "Again."

Geni looked down, hands lying at her sides. "I won't deny it," she admitted to the floor, "but I also didn't, because there are things I have to accomplish yet before I do. Plus," she added, looking up at him, her blue eyes shining fiercely, "I want to go in my own way, not by the hand of anyone else."

Riku listened to her small speech with apathy, but on the inside he felt a tiny bit better. He turned his head away again. "Good – because if you did you wouldn't have only Sora to answer to for that blunder."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Geni said with a smile, reaching up to place a warm hand on Riku's cheek. "Now, shall we go get the others and go on our merry way? We still have to finish crossing the mountains."

Riku nodded, blinking his eyes slowly as he placed his free hand over hers on his face. "Let's go." He brought her hand down and without hesitation kissed her knuckles. "Glad to have you back."

"Me too," she told him with a smile, squeezing his hand in the process. Hand in hand, the two of them walked in through the door in the mountain and back into darkness, their way lit by the tiny light of the flickering candle in Riku's grip. The creature who had led him there had disappeared while they were talking, but it did not seem to matter as Geni knew exactly where she was going. Several twists and turns later, they once again were in the large eating area. The only occupants were the humans and anthropomorphic animals, as usual, eating the strangely bland yet delectable food. When the couple entered the room, all eyes looked up.

"Hey, you're awake finally!" Sora grinned from ear to ear, rushing over to crush his twin in a bear hug. "You looked horrible last night," he admonished her, looking her over from head to two when he was finished. "How do you feel?" he finished, peering into her face.

"Fine. How about all of you?" she asked, looking at them one by one. "You don't seem as blue as the last time I saw you."

"Or as cold," Kairi added, smiling. "We have the two of you to thank for that. If you hadn't of pushed us as far, we probably wouldn't have been found until we were popsicles."

"Although don't ever try anything that dangerous ever again," King Mickey scolded her. "No matter what the circumstances."

"Yes King Mickey," she told him, a slight whine to her voice.

"Now, now. He is only being protective," a velvety voice said from behind them. Turning, the group watched Aunt Beast lumber into the room to stand before them. "I see you are feeling well again. Will you be leaving us?"

Geni nodded. "We have spent too much time in your care, I'm afraid. We must get to the meeting place and find out what has transpired since we left the capital." Geni let go of Riku's hand to walk up to the large creature, embracing it warmly. It was silent in the room as no words were spoken between the two, Aunt Beast curling her claws around the petite frame in front of her. Yet no words were needed – everything that could have been said had already been.

Aunt Beast gently pushed Geni away to look down into her face. "Prepare your things, and I will have an escort walk you through the lower passages. That will be the quickest and warmest route to the other side of our mountains. And please – come visit us again when your situation is better," she added, her invisible face seeming to smile at them.

"We will," Geni promised. With a nod, Aunt Beast lumbered away, her claws waving behind her. Turning, Geni said, "We should get going like she said – it will be several hours of long walking to reach the other side of the mountains."

"More walking?" Kairi said, slumping in her seat.

"Only for today. After we arrive where we are going to meet my friends, you won't have to anymore. I promise," she told her in earnest.

"Well, I suppose we should get a move on then, a-hyuk," Goofy said to the rest of the group. "Lead on, oh fearless leader!" he told Geni with a mock salute.

"Well, maybe not fearless," she muttered under her breath before giving him a large smile. "Let's just get going."

Less than one hour later, the group was waiting in a large open area, surrounded by many of the furred creatures. Several small passages fed into the room, but only one large and ominous passageway led out of it. Aunt Beast spoke softly with Geni, gesturing every so often. A smaller creature, but one whose fur was a dark chocolate brown, waited with a small pack strapped to its back. He was to be their guide through the tunnels, which Aunt Beast assured them, would take them to the other side of the mountain range in no time at all, with the added bonus of skirting the snow storms that were currently plaguing it. Both she and Geni smiled at that – none of the airships would be able to cross the range until they had subsided as it was.

"Thank you again for your hospitality," Geni told her. "Without your help and shelter, we would not have been able to make it this far."

"You are most welcome," Aunt Beast told her sincerely. "I wish you safety and success on your journey ahead; it will only get more difficult from here on." She paused, tilting her head as if thinking.

"What is it?" Geni asked her quietly, glad they were a small distance from the others.

"The song...has changed," she murmured. "It is not the same as it was a short while ago. Something has happened to the harmony in the capital – it has become divided, unsettling. I fear for what this may mean for you and your cause. The keys must be united in their goal, lest the universe fall into darkness."

Geni looked down at the floor. "The keys are divided right now, but in the end all but one shall not fall into the darkness. Darkness will be consumed by darkness, giving rise to the era of light. I give you my word on that," she finished softly.

"The final key..." Aunt Beast whispered.

"Geni! Are you coming or what!"

The moment was broken as Sora called over to her. Geni and Aunt Beast looked into each others faces, each knowing very well it would doubtlessly be the last time either of them would meet in their lifetimes. "Goodbye Aunt Beast. Thank you for all that you have done for us," Geni said, bowing while placing her right hand over her left fist. "This will not be forgotten."

"You are welcome, as always. We will keep the mountains closed off for as long as we possibly can. I hope we can stall the airships until you arrive at your destination. Now go – your friends are waiting."

Geni nodded, straightening and taking several steps backwards until she turned around and headed towards the rest of the group. She blinked the moisture that had slowly accumulated into her eyes, smiling broadly as she rejoined the group. "Okay! Let's get going."

"Good. Follow me, if you please," the dark brown creature told them. As they began to file out of the chamber and into the semidarkness, a soft rumbling began until it filled the air around them. The creatures were giving them their own way of saying goodbye, thrumming their voices so low that the mountain itself seemed to shake around them.

_Goodbye_, Geni mentally said, keeping her eyes in front of her. _Please stay safe_. Following the creature, Geni could not hear much around her except for the pitter-patter of feet and the differences between the deep, calm breathing of Riku next to her and the anxious, shallow breathing of Kairi as she held on to Sora. Geni smiled a little – she knew that Kairi had a slight issue of claustrophobia ever since the three of them had taken shelter in the secret cave on the play island during a large storm when they were younger. Their guide cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"We will be taking the lower passages, and without any delays or problems, we should be to the other side of the range within a few hours. Please speak up if you have any issues or concerns at any time. Other than that, I will let you know when we will be changing directions or coming to any steps or hills." After that, the creature remained silent as he padded his way in front of them.

The ancient stone passageways echoed the sounds the group made, but no others could be heard. It was like walking inside of a coffin, a living death at times, if not for the fact that the group continuously pushed onwards through the tunnel breathing and hearts beating all the while. Even Kairi did not mind the darkness so much, accustoming herself to it after an hour or so. So it came to a great surprise when the guide and Geni suddenly stopped at the same time, forcing the others to gently bump into them.

"We are here," their guide said in a quiet voice. "Please wait here while I check the end of the tunnel."

"We will," Geni told him. Soft footsteps heading away from them to her that he had already left.

"Well, that was faster than I thought it would be," King Mickey said quietly. All of them had continuously spoken in soft voices, feeling that anything louder than that might collapse the tunnel onto them – even though the probability of that was highly unlikely.

"We've still wasted much more time here than I would have liked," Geni told him from the front of the group.

"Two or three days isn't a long time," Donald insisted. "You said that for every one day outside of this realm seven days passes here. Maybe one day has passed, at most."

"No, probably almost a day and a half already," Geni stated casually.

"What do you mean? We haven't been here for even two weeks yet," Sora argued into the darkness.

"Didn't I tell you about the time anomalies surrounding this mountain range?" Geni called back to him nonchalantly.

"No."

"No!"

"I think you forgot to mention that..."

"When were you planning on telling us?!"

"How long have we _actually_ been here?" Many voices began talking at once in normal and loud voices, echoing throughout the cavern.

"Calm down, calm down!" Geni told them in a harsh whisper. "Keep your voices down!" It took a few moments, but eventually the voices and echoes faded into angry whispers. "Now listen – it hasn't been that much longer. Time passes twice as long inside of the mountains compared to outside of them – this only happened after we were brought inside, not while we were walking around outside."

"So for the two days or so we were here, 4 days have gone by outside?" Riku suggested.

Geni nodded, but then remembering they were in the dark spoke aloud. "Yes, that's right."

"So we've been in this realm for about eight days now," King Mickey surmised, thoughtfulness entering his voice.

"Which means we have thirteen days to finish, before you have to be back to the islands," Geni concluded. "Not much time, but hopefully it will be enough."

Sora was listening to them do the math concerning the days, when he thought he heard a mistake in Geni's explanation. "Hey, wait. Isn't –"

"Excuse me," a voice called. The group immediately tensed and turned around, expecting a foe. However, their guide had only returned to guide them back out. "The way is clear, and there are no airships in the immediate area. Please, make haste in exiting."

"Thank you," Geni told him, quickly moving forward.

"This way," the creature said, moving down the passage yet again. Within moments, the darkness in the cave began to lift, and the eight of them were walking in a semidarkness – finally able to see a small portion of the passageway around them. It was also at that point that they saw the markings that covered the walls; strange hieroglyphics and symbols that held no meaning for them. "We are almost there," the creature whispered. "Please follow slowly."

The group literally tiptoed through the cave, no noise except for the occasional held breath escaping. In seconds the outline of a large round door could be seen, with light escaping into the tunnel around its edges. The creature slowly pushed against the center of the door, slowly allowing the brilliant light of day to enter the tunnel, and also allowing the group's eyes to slowly adjust to its brilliance without going blind.

Once the creature had sufficiently pushed aside the large boulder so slightly less than half of the entry was clear, he moved aside. "Go quickly - stay under the trees if you can. If any airships do come, we will do our best to divert them to other parts of the forest. Please go quickly - the path to the ancient device lies not far from here. If you hurry, you should come upon it within the hour if nothing stalls you. Go with our protector's blessings," the creature said as he finished his monologue, dipping his head in respect.

"Thank you. Hurry!" Geni said, dashing out into the light. The group followed hurriedly behind her, shielding their eyes to allow their pupils to dilate with the sunlight. As they did, a completely different environment lay before them, quite unlike the forest before the mountains.

Whereas there had been evergreens and tall pine trees, shrubby bushes and cool breezes, there was now an abundance of tropical flora. Tall green trees with vines connecting them, with enormous leaves flowing from their branches like water, and flowers in every color of the rainbow. The air was much warmer, but a slight breeze helped to relieve it slightly. The ground was softer as well, with more ponds and small rivers interspersed wherever one stepped, leaving the rest of the ground a muddy mess - except for the small hills that dotted the area. "This is the southern forest, leading towards the sea. As I said before, the main trade routes run along the major rivers to the far west and east of us, as well as the air ships when the weather is good. Thankfully, our destination lies in between all of these," Geni huffed out as she ran along between two trees. The others kept up the chase, each listening for the telltale sound of engines or pursuers.

"What kind of 'ancient device' was our guide talking about?" Sora asked her, lunging to his left to avoid a low branch.

"It is one of the old magics still left in this world. Funny, how there are still some mysteries unsolved even here," she mused. "Either way, thankfully its only function is as a teleporting device. Also, it is protected by a barrier that only allows those who are of good intent to pass through - meaning that no one from the capital should be able to penetrate it."

"And what if they do? Would someone know you were heading here all along?" King Mickey asked her, jumping over a fallen tree.

"…maybe," Geni replied, after a momentary hesitation. Her blue eyes scanned the area around them. "The device could be considered similar to…an urban legend, I suppose. There are those that know about them but have never seen one except in a book, and so do not believe any more exist, and those that know about them and have used them. Of course, the former greatly outweighs the latter. Let's just hope for our sakes everyone still thinks it is a fairy tale."

"How far do we have to run?" Kairi panted out, still keeping pace next to Sora. He smiled at her, nodding at her good pace.

"Not far - the device is only a few miles from the utmost base of the mountains. If we keep a constant pace, we should be arriving there in ten minutes or so."

"Hallelujah," Kairi sighed.

Geni looked over her shoulder to give her a grin. "Kairi, I promise you when we get there I will personally make sure that you get a spa day of some kind, and a full manicure and pedicure."

"I'll hold you to that," Kairi said, smiling back at her.

However, as events are apt to go with the lives of the Keybearers, a sudden whirring noise and guttural groaning of metal sudden became quite loud high above them. As one, the group looked to the skies, staring at the blue interspersed with the thick canopy of green. The disappointment and sense of haste only increased with the spotting of not just one but three airships closing in at them from all sides. "Looks like they found us," Goofy said with a nervous laugh.

"But how? We aren't using any magic, and the trees should be covering us fairly well," Riku thought out loud.

"If they don't know where we are…" Geni began.

"…they know where we're heading!" Sora finished.

"The device! They'll have it covered before we can get there!" Geni shouted, narrowing her eyes and doubling her pace. "Hurry everyone!"

The band of seven raced through the forest, becoming blurs of color: black, pink, tan, blue, green, gray, white. No words were spoken now, only eyes trained on the person they were following and the forest around them, tensed and waiting for an ambush. Strangely enough, the forest was silent except for the breeze sporadically rustling the leaves. Geni felt the hairs on top of her neck stand on end, a chill running down her spine. She had a very bad vibe. Suddenly…

"There they are!"

A small clearing in the middle of the trees left them open and vulnerable for less than five seconds, but it was enough for a group of people to spot them to their right. Geni quickly looked their way and scowled. They did not have on the heavy silver armor the Guards traditionally wore inside the city, but they were Guards nonetheless. The shining swords, spears, and arrow tips proved that - as well as the signal she saw one of them preparing. She quickly opened her hand and created a ball of energy, and flung it towards them, hopefully in enough time, but it was too late - a bright flare soared high above them, alerting the rest of the search parties to their whereabouts. The ball did collide with the group, sending a small tremor past their feet and a dust cloud into the air.

"This is it!" Geni shouted to the others, slowing. She whisked out her staff from the holder at her waist, flicking it open to its fullest. "We might have to fight our way through, but if you can don't hurt anyone - not seriously, at least," she added quickly. Four Keyblades appeared, as well as a magical staff and a shield.

"We'll do our best," Riku told her, joining her at the front. "Just lead they way," he said, brandishing The Way To The Dawn.

Geni nodded. "I'll raise a shield and lead the way, but I won't be able to do much fighting. I'll leave that up to the six of you," she said to them.

"You can count on us," Sora told her, thumping his chest. "No problem."

Geni looked at the six of them, sweating and already weary from running so fast with their packs still strapped to their backs. Their eyes shone brightly, ready to help her in any way they could. She smiled. "I'm glad I can. Let's go."

They resumed running, but at this point a different group from the one Geni had stunned with her energy ball had come from their left. "Stop! In the name of justice! Traitors to the crown! Murderers! _Khi-janen_!" Insults were thrown at them, as well as a few well placed arrows. They bounced harmlessly off of Geni's shield as they ran past, making slight _pinging_ noises as they did. Geni winced slightly - the arrows had been magicked for such barriers, at it took a moderate amount of concentration to keep them from piercing her friends and family. Thankfully enough Riku and Sora only paused momentarily to send them sprawling with a well timed attack of a Dark Aura and a Blizzaga spell.

"Almost there!" Geni called behind them. "It's not much further now!"

"Look out!" Sora shouted, pointing in front of her. Geni turned her head just in enough time to see the points of the swords before she impaled herself on them as the Guards darted out in front of her.

"Out-of-my-way!" she yelled at them, shoving her fist forward. The earth beneath them surged into a tidal wave and knocked them off of the feet. "Sorry," she told them, wincing as she jumped over several unconscious bodies. Even so, she felt the old power of the ancient device looming in front of them. A stadium's width lay between them, and the sound of the whirring blades and groan of the engines was right on top of them.

High above them, several persons looked down into the forest with disdain, noting the explosions and dust clouds as they came ever closer to the large clearing to the immediate south of them. "Captain! I want those infidels stopped!" an older man said sternly, pounding his polished gnarled wood staff onto the deck of the largest airship. Donovan stood on the bow of the flagship, a sash of purple thrown across his chest.

"Yes sir," a burly man said from next to him. He walked towards the entrance to the bridge, shouting, "Send the next wave down! I want those rebels captured, dead or alive!"

"Yes sir!"

"Right away sir!"

Two men stood behind Donovan, one a young man, and the other only slightly younger than Donovan himself. It was the latter who spoke. "I can't believe she got this far," he mused. "I swore they disappeared on the mountainside. Our trackers lost contact with their energies after the teleportation. She should be dead!"

The younger man chuckled. "It just goes to prove how resourceful she is. However," he continued in a darker tone, "we must prevent them from reaching the ancient device. If they get into contact with Bhujerba, nothing will be able to stop her."

"Maybe not 'nothing,'" Donovan murmured as footsteps approached from behind them. He turned, bowing. "Your highness. What brings you to the front?"

Keldar approached, his gaze piercing the three men. Even though his appearance was immaculate as always, slight differences could be seen. He also wore a purple sash as Donovan did, but across his forehead a ring of silver lay, with a single smooth purple gem adorning the center. "Regent Donovan, how goes the search?"

"We have finally found them, your highness. The traitors will be captured within minutes," Donovan told him, standing straight. "We will now finally be able to bring justice to her Majesty's and Madame Lirona's murders once and for all."

Keldar raised an eyebrow. "And those who were falsely accused released, after a full statement is rendered from Genevieve, correct? The Guards were too hasty in pointing fingers, I do believe."

"Of course, your highness - immediately," Donovan said, tilting his head downwards to hid his contempt. "Once we capture them and bring them aboard."

"Good." Keldar walked past them to the very prow of the royal flagship, looking down into the tropical forest. A sudden boom reached his ears and a ball of fire shot up from the forest to their left. He noted the shortening distance between the fighting and the clearing. _Is that her objective? But nothing's there_, he though to himself. _If it wasn't, and her destination is farther away, she could have just teleported there once they left the mountains. But why didn't she? What is _here_ that she needs?_ He pondered on these questions as he watched his ex-betrothed fight against her own people.

Donovan had stepped back to allow the prince room to view the battle. The young man nudged his arm. "What about him?" he quietly hissed to Donovan. "You said he wouldn't get in the way."

"And he won't," Donovan assured him. "As long as we pretend to play up to him, he won't ever suspect a thing. Now, did you send the Guards who -" but before Donovan could finish his sentence, an explosion rocked the flagship. The other two airships were being similarly knocked around as well. "What was that?" he shouted in anger. "Highness, are you alright?" he asked in mock concern, walking over to where Keldar was hanging onto the railing surrounding the deck. However, Keldar's eyes were on the airship that had just flown past them at breakneck speeds.

A newer model of airship, streamlined in silver metal, glinted in the sunlight. Four hover platforms squared off the bottom of the ship; the spinning fans inside them shrieked as the wind passed through them at several hundred miles per hour. Two enormous wings protruded at the left and right sides, adding to the lift and aerodynamic effect of the ship. The bridge and forward cabin of the airship was painted a brilliant crimson, with it's own pair of wings adorning either side of it. When the additional engines were fired, a sonic boom sounded and a sound wave blasted the three airships and rocked their inhabitants.

Following the ship with his eyes as he watched it wreck havoc on the three ships under his command, Keldar almost smirked. _So, that's who - now I get why she went this way. _He suddenly had a double take. _Why am I happy about this?_

"Shoot it out of the sky! _Locārthú_ sky pirates!" Donovan yelled as he waved a fist at the sky. "Yet another group of rebels who needs dealing with!" he shouted, as if those in the ship could hear him. And in case they did, they shot another blast from their forward canons, hitting the back of the ship and one of the rudders. The flagship jolted violently to the side, bucking.

At the first explosion and sonic boom, Geni darted her gaze to the skies as she ran through the forest. In a sparse patch of blue, she just happened to see a silver and white airship with large wings do battle with the three royal airships. She could have jumped for joy, except for the fact that they were almost at the ancient teleporting device. _Thanks for the distraction,_ she mentally shouted towards them.

And quite a distraction it was. The groups of Guards who had been scouring the area around the ancient device looked up at the same time Geni had, observing the explosion and air battle. This gave the group a slight advantage over the two groups they dashed by, passing right under their noses in the blink of an eye. Once past, Geni glanced back momentarily. "We're almost there! The barrier is only a few hundred feet in front of us. I'll clear a small area - get through it as fast as you can."

"What was that?" Riku panted, still running alongside of her. "Who's in that airship?"

For the first time in several days, Geni grinned at him like the Cheshire cat. "Those are my friends," she told him in a proud voice.

"Pimerchants?" Riku asked her questioningly.

"Sort of - I'll explain later." Just then, the group broke through the last few trees and began running across a large expanse of green, with several large rocks dotting the landscape. Geni looked around, seeing only a far group on the other side of the clearing. Raising her hand, she began to chant several words in a language as ancient as the device. Suddenly a shimmering door appeared in their path, a strange glowing lantern surrounded by circles and more of the hieroglyphics from inside of the tunnel in the mountains. It looked like the device was bigger than the doorway, but it could only be seen through the doorway. As the came up to it, Geni slowed. The group slowed with her, but she shouted at them "No! Don't slow down! Run through the gate - it will feel a little like walking through water, but hurry anyway!"

Riku nodded at her, and gritted his teeth as his body hit the doorway. His forward momentum immediately slowed to almost a crawl, but he pushed onward anyway. Almost immediately, his hands hit open air before his body did, and he fell forward onto the grass. Looking up, a stone device emitted a strange yellow glow from a lantern upon it.

"Oomph!" Riku was pushed into the ground as another body fell on top of him. He pushed up on the person, and saw Sora tumble towards the device.

"Out of the way!" Goofy shouted as he suddenly came barreling through the entrance. Riku jumped up and turned around. He had just enough time to take in the shimmery glow of his surroundings, proof of the invisible barrier. He could see Geni tossing several elemental attacks at groups of their pursuers as several drew near the barrier, watching as Kairi, King Mickey, and Donald followed in after Goofy. As soon as Donald was through, he saw Geni look behind her, then turn to push through the barrier. As she did, she was shoved forcefully from behind her, her body in slow motion through the several feet of barrier. Riku ran forward as she fell out, the feathered shaft of an arrow protruding from her back.

"Geni!" he shouted, kneeling down by her. "Are you alright?"

Shakily Geni got to her knees and stood up, Riku steadying her. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's hurry and get out of here - I doubt this will be a secret for much longer." She turned to make sure the doorway she had created was closed, and also to see dozens of Guards surrounded the perimeter of the ancient device, looking for where their potential prisoners had gone.

"But the arrow -"

"Isn't in me, only my pack. Come on." She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him towards the device. "Everyone - get within one of the circles. Now."

"What's this for?" King Mickey asked her, eying the strange device, as each of them crowded into one of the four circles on the ground.

"It's the old teleportation device I told you about, used during the ancient times. Nowadays, it only has enough power for one person to use it now and again. We'll be pushing it like this." Geni stepped forward, released Riku's hand, and placed her hands around the glowing stone lantern. A bright yellow light suddenly outlined the circles on the ground as they rose up and encircled the seven travelers. "Hang on tight!" Geni shouted as a blinding flash accompanied their departure from the meadow.

The yellow-white light immediately receded as the seven of them thumped to the ground, breathing hard. "Well that wasn't so bad," Geni muttered, blinking a few times.

"You just _had _to get here the hard way, didn't you?" a young male's voice called out from behind her.

Geni slowly stood up and turned around, grinning at the voice from over her shoulder. Suddenly the group realized they were standing inside of a large stone ring, the bright blue sky and shining sun almost close enough to touch. Stone buildings covered in moss and vines and colorful banners edged the closed off circle. However, what caught the eyes of the group were the hundreds of people that surrounded them, watching them with wary eyes. Men and women, old and young, babies and toddlers, teens with wondering looks. Two people came forward from the circle: a young man with short blond locks, sporting a metal vest which covered his well built frame, and high rising pants which were a dark green with went all the way to his knee high metal boots, his metal kneecaps and gauntlets shining in the sun. An amulet of blue and red stone shone on his breast, and a red scarf was wrapped around his middle. The other person was a shorter girl, also with blond hair which framed her face and was pulled into two short braids on either side of her head. She had on a blue and yellow leather jumper which ended in short sleeves and shorts, and a pair of thigh high boots which were strapped to the back of her legs. Leather cuffs surrounded her wrists, and leather armor protected her shoulders and shot out behind her like a small pair of wings.

They walked up to Geni with a practiced familiarity. "Of course," Geni said, bending down on one knee as she spoke, "how else would I enter the capital of the sky pirates?" Six pairs of jaws dropped, staring stupidly at the trio.

The girl came forward and pulled Geni up gently by the arms. She smiled gently. "It's been such a long time," she told her as they readily embraced. The two girls shared a deep hug, before they were interrupted.

"What? I don't get a hug too?" the man said in a sulking tone.

"Behave," the girl said, swatting him on the arm as she and Geni separated.

"Of course you do," Geni said, opening her arms wide. The young man's face brightened considerably as he ran into her and hugged her, swinging her around in a circle. "Enough! Enough!" she said, laughing.

The blonde man put her down. "Now that that's done, who are your friends?" he asked her, gesturing to the three humans and three anthropomorphic animals that looked quite confused at the moment.

"Oh - of course," Geni said quickly. She jogged to her friends and family and gently prodded them closer to the waiting couple. Placing her hand on their shoulders as she spoke, she said, "This is King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Riku, and my brother Sora."

The man stuck his hand out towards Sora. "Ah, so this is your infamous brother. I've been waiting to meet you," he said, his eyes narrowing at the shorter boy.

"N-Nice to meet you," Sora stumbled, grasping the man's hand as they shook.

"Same greeting too! Now we know you two are related," the man laughed, making the girl laugh right along with him.

"You all must be starving, and in need of some baths and fresh clothes," the woman said, looking at the group critically. "Let us go to the marquis' estate so you can freshen up before we talk." She went over and hooked her arm with Kairi's. "You must tell me how you keep your hair so straight - I've been trying for ages to do something besides braid mine," she asked her, walking towards the circle of onlookers. By this time, once the man and woman had seemed friendly towards the new group, little by little they had dispersed until a few men and women were left - guards by the looks of the miscellaneous weapons they carried.

The man walked over towards King Mickey and bowed. "Your majesty, it would be our pleasure if you could join us."

"Of course…?" King Mickey said hesitantly.

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Vaan - and the girl walking off with your friend is Penelo. Please excuse my rude manners for not introducing ourselves earlier." He turned to Geni. "I suppose you've kept your end of the bargain?"

Geni nodded. "I haven't told them anything yet. Oh, and thank you for before - it's been ages since I've seen the _Strahl_ in action."

"You're welcome. When we were told that three royal airships had entered the area around the device, we assumed that it was where you were heading after you left the capital - which is in a complete uproar, by the way. You'll have to tell us your half of the tale over dinner. By that time the _Strahl_ will have docked as well."

"Good." Geni turned. "Ready to go?" she asked the males of her group.

Sora shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts. "Wait…wait a minute. Where exactly are we? And who exactly are all of these people? What are sky pirates? And what is a _Strahl_?"

Vaan laughed heartily. "You really _haven't_ told them anything, have you?"

Geni gave him a glare. "I already told you I hadn't. I see your maturity level hasn't gone up with your status."

It was Vaan's turn to glare. "At least my ego hasn't grown with mine."

"Your brains are as thick as a cloud."

"You're still too wrapped up in yourself."

"Sky rat."

"Mud worm."

"Seeq nose."

"Bangaa butt."

The two stared at each other, electricity flying between them. Sora, Riku, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and the other guards present had watched the insult swapping with interest, but as Sora was about to go and intervene, a chuckle escaped from Geni's mouth. Suddenly, the two were laughing so hard, Vaan was holding his side and Geni was wiping tears from her eyes.

"Bangaa butt?! Wherever did you get that from?" she said, laughing so hard her breath came in gasps.

"That's my secret," Vaan said, laughing as he stood up straight again. "Ah, that never gets old." He turned, talking to her over his shoulder. "Let's get going - Penelo hates waiting."

Still smiling, Geni turned around. "Let's go too."

Sora walked up next to her. "What's a Seeq nose?"

She laughed, but whispered into his ear, "Like a pig walking on two feet, and smelling just as bad."

Sora's eyes widened. "Oh…"

Riku placed a hand on her shoulder, eying the Vaan person. "Can we really trust these people?" he asked her quietly as he watched Vaan begin to walk away, followed by a few of the guards.

Geni looked up at him, noticing the intense expression he wore. She reached up and gently squeezed his hand. "They're very old friends of mine - I trust them as much as I trust any of you."

Looking down, he nodded. "Alright then. Let's go to this estate - Kairi's probably already there waiting for us."

"Yeah! Let's go!" Sora said, pumped. He was already gazing around at the buildings and people. The circle of stone seemed to be in the center of a large marketplace, and already many of the citizens had gone back to doing whatever they had been doing before their sudden arrival. As they passed them, several people nodded in welcome or verbally welcomed Geni by name. "Popular here too, eh?" Sora called back, his hands tossed behind his head in a relaxed position, as they walked down the main thoroughfare.

"Not as much as back in the capital, although Vaan and Penelo are the celebrities around here," Geni said, walking next to Riku. She was keeping an eye on King Mickey, who was walking up in the front of their small procession with Vaan and talking companionably.

"Who are they anyway?" Sora continued, staring at a weapons shop they passed by.

"And didn't you say we were in the sky pirate capital? What about those pimerchants you told me about?" Riku asked her, narrowing his gaze in irritation.

"Uh, well, you see…" Geni began, looking around.

"You were lying again, weren't you?" Riku stated flatly.

"No! Not completely, at least," she began. Riku sighed in exasperation, motioning for her to continue. "The sky pirates are the dominant rulers of the land south of the Beast's Rest, but they still owe their primary allegiance to the capital, and before to the Queen." Geni paused for a moment. "However, their main economy comes from trading, shipping, and ferrying goods and people over the mountains and in this region. I was about to tell you they were pirates, but then skipped to merchants. Literally, they're both."

"And great at irritating the high horsed seats of the Imperial Council!" Vaan called back, laughing along with the rest of the guards.

"Yes, that too," Geni said, frowning.

"So everyone here is a sky pirate?" Sora asked her excitedly. "That's so awesome! I wonder if Jack -"

"No, not everyone," Geni cut him off suddenly. "Only those who own or work on the airships themselves are true air pirates. There are also those people who live in Bhujerba who make an honest living in the trading business or ferrying people. Also, the Lhusu mines in the depths of Bhujerba produce the fuel needed for the airships, so the miners trade with not only the sky pirates but those based out of the other cities and the capital too."

"So definitely not like Tortuga," Sora muttered.

Geni blushed a brilliant crimson. "No. Not like Tortuga," she said, shivering in disgust.

Riku cocked his head. "What's Tortuga?"

"Nothing!" Geni shouted and Sora said lazily. They looked at each other, until Sora realized why his sister was blushing.

"Oops," he said. "Cat's out of the bag, I guess." He suddenly looked very nervous.

"Sora…when exactly did Jack take you to Tortuga?" she asked, her voice taking on a steely edge.

"Um, when the Heartless and Nobodies attacked?" he answered guiltily.

"And what did you do there?"

"…met some well dressed and proper ladies with the appropriate etiquette of a well bred society?" he slowly supplied.

"Wrong answer!" Geni snapped, rushing after him, her hands clenched in a manner to fit around his neck.

"Ah!" Sora screamed, running away. The twins ran up and down the boulevard, making the shoppers stare and some laugh.

Riku watched the twins with mild interest, Geni's braid flapping in the breeze behind her as she drew closer and closer to wringing Sora's neck, the funniest part being the arrow that still protruded from her backpack swinging back and forth like a tail. "So what is Tortuga?" he questioned out loud.

"You don't know?" one of the guards walking near him, asked. Riku shook his head no. "Oh, well…" the guard went up and whispered into Riku's ear. His eyes widened in shock, and his face turned a pretty shade of pink as well. "Sora went there?!" he spluttered.

"Apparently, and had a good time too," the guard laughed while walking back to his position.

"I was tipsy! Honest!" Sora shrieked as Geni threw a blast of fire at him.

"No magic!" Vaan and King Mickey called to them at the same time in the same tired manner. Looking at each other, they laughed. "Are they like this a lot of the time?" Vaan asked the tiny royal mouse.

"Some of the time," he offered. "Although not too much as of late."

"Good thing we've arrived then," Vaan said, shaking his head. A pair of intricate metal gates greeted them, with two guards saluting as they opened the doors for them. "This is the marquis' estate, when he used to rule over Bhujerba. Now the elected officials reside there; it's also the main governing office for all official business of the city. Thank you," he said to the guards.

"Lady Penelo and her friend have already entered into the main house," one told him. "And the _Strahl_ is docking now in the Aerodrome."

"Good. Tell them to meet us for dinner in an hour and a half."

"Yes sir."

Vaan nodded. "Shall we go then?" he said, gesturing to the large estate that could be seen through the gates. By this time, Geni had chased Sora up and down the street several times, and both were slightly winded. They joined the rest of the group, with Sora sporting the beginning of a black eye. He poked at it gingerly, his face set in a semi-frown.

"Don't expect me to heal that for you," Geni spat at him, but with barely any anger in her voice. She looked worriedly out of the corner of her eye at her brother.

"It'll go away soon enough on its own," he said shrugging.

"A good shower with some of the mineral water dug up from the mines will help take care of that in no time at all," Vaan told him, laughing at the same time, as they walked up the main path to the house. The entire place was made out of the same reddish-brown stone as the rest of the city, with a few places for potted plants and the occasional tree to grow out of. The majority of the plants in the city were the moss and hanging vines. Entering the main door, they saw Penelo waiting for them.

"Finally! I thought you would never arrive. Come - this way. I'll show you to your rooms so you may freshen up before dinner." She gestured towards the right. "Kairi is already taking full use of our bathing facilities in the guest rooms - the marquis really had his estate outfitted with every luxury in life," she said with a chuckle.

"That sounds wonderful," Geni told her, moving ahead of the group.

"I knew you would say that. Come, I want to know about everything," she said, as the girls linked arms and walked down the hallway, Geni waving at them as she disappeared around a corner.

"Hmm, girls," Vaan muttered. "Well, that way are all of the guest rooms. You'll find your name on the door to the room you've been assigned to. Each one of you has a room to yourself, plus a private washroom. Penelo or I will be around in an hour or so to get you for dinner. Now I must go speak to some of our engineers. If you'll excuse," he finished, bowing slightly, before excusing himself and walking in the opposite direction. The guards as well dissipated in different parts of the main house until only one was left standing guard near the front entrance.

"Should we go?" Riku asked them. Goofy and Donald had been strangely silent, their chatter ceasing for once. Riku turned to them. "What's the matter?"

"Didn't you see that humongous crystal?!" Donald quacked at them, his eyes shining with the look of 'treasure' in them.

"What? Where?" King Mickey asked.

"Above us! They were like giant wings sticking out of the ground!" Goofy gestured. "And some even had buildings built in and on top of them! Look out of the window!" The three of them turned towards a large picture window to the side of the house. Sure enough, a deep blue crystal flowed straight from the ground up into the sky like the wings of a bird, yet translucent enough to be able to see the buildings and landscape through them.

"Well whaddaya know! This place must be rich in natural gem and mineral deposits," King Mickey said thoughtfully. "It must be why this area is so free from the capital's control. Maybe another reason Geni came here," he added quietly.

The group nodded to themselves, and as one began walking away from the guard on duty. Turning the corner, the found a long hallway with many doors on it. As promised, each room had a small placard on the door, and their names could be found there according to the room they had each been assigned to. "We'll talk later, once everyone is more relaxed," King Mickey told the four other males in the group. They all agreed, and went into their rooms to clean themselves up.

As Riku looked around in the sparse yet comfortable room after quickly taking a shower and cleaning himself up, and also after putting on the clean clothes he had found lying on the bed (since his were somehow missing), he took inventory of the day's events. After being rudely woken up that morning, and after Geni had awoken as well, they took the secret passage that led through the mountain range to the tropical forest south of it. It was then they were found and chased by pursuers from the capital. Luckily they had made it to the ancient teleporting device Geni had spoken about, and arrived without harm in the sky pirate capital city of Bhujerba, wherever it was. He noticed that when walking the air was cooler, so they must be in a slightly higher altitude than the forest. As it was, there was no window in his room, so he couldn't see outside either.

_Knock, knock_. "Riku, you done in there?" Sora called.

"Yeah, coming," Riku answered, walking to the door and throwing it open. "Nice clothes," he said, smirking.

"I'd say the same to you," Sora retorted, then laughing. "I suppose we'll blend in a little more now," he commented, looking down. Each had on a pair of brown trousers, but one in dark and one in light. Sora had on a moss green shirt which had shortened sleeves that were tied with leather laces, and a hardened leather vestment acting as a type of armor. He was also wearing a pair of leather boots that were the same color as his vest which reached up to his knees. Riku, on the other hand, sported a tight fitting sleeveless blue turtleneck, also with hard leather armor. His, on the other hand, was divided into several pieces stitched together down the middle of his front, sides, and back. Lastly he wore arm bracers from his wrists to his elbows, and a pair of knee high leather boots as well.

"Very natural," Riku said, examining the intricate stitching on the vest. "Either way, these clothes are of a very high quality."

"Yes, quite," Sora said, raising his chin high in the air and pointing his pinkie finger in the air. "Shall we, my good man?" he asked in a strange accent.

"We shall," Riku answered by closing the door behind him and stepping down the hallway towards the main entrance of the main house of the estate.

Not surprisingly, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were already waiting for them, dressed in similar clothes to those Sora and Riku wore - save for the fact it looked like the clothes were made more for humans than a mouse, duck, and dog - although a quick stitch job made them fit perfectly. Although a guard was still posted at the main door, no other people were to be seen. "Hey," Sora called, waving at them as they entered the large foyer. "Feels good to be clean again," he joked.

"Indeed," King Mickey said in agreement. "Let's talk a walk," he said, gesturing to the corridor leading away from the guest rooms.

"Sure," Riku answered, looking at Sora and raising an eyebrow.

"Don't look so surprised - Vaan came and asked us to meet with him while Penelo occupies Geni." King Mickey's tone was strangely grave, as if anticipating yet more bad news as of late.

"Why not her?" Sora asked as they walked forward.

"I honestly don't know," King Mickey replied.

"Maybe it's something to do with what's happened back at the capital while we've been gone, a-hyuk," Goofy supplied.

"Could be," Donald mused. "Or to the fact that we brought swarms of guards to their doorstep, forcing them to take us in."

"But the people here seemed okay with us when we arrived," Sora protested. "I mean, yes there were guards all around, but they didn't outright attack us."

"Maybe it was only because Geni was with us?" Riku suggested. "Vaan and Penelo have known her for quite some time - unlike us," he said pointedly.

"True," King Mickey said, turning left in the hallway. It quite abruptly ended at an old wooden door. Walking up to it, he carefully knocked several times.

"Come in," Vaan called from inside. King Mickey gently pushed open the door, showing a comforting study lined with bookshelves and plush chairs, as well as a fireplace on one wall. A large desk covered in papers took up the far wall which only consisted of many panes of glass. Outside a lush green garden could be seen, followed by several terraces leading to the edge of…nothing. No land, earth, dirt, grass, or trees could be seen - only the bright blue of the sky and fluffy whiteness of the clouds.

"We're flying?!" Sora exclaimed, running to the windows and looking out.

"Floating, actually," Vaan corrected him. "Bhujerba is the capital of the sky pirates only because the entire expanse of the islands it covers floats high in the sky. The earth below us is only several hundred feet thick before it gives way to the air below us."

"Extraordinary," King Mickey said, walking up to the windows with Riku. Goofy and Donald had quickly joined Sora, gaping at the anomaly that surrounded them. "I've never heard of a floating city, except in legends and fairy tales."

"Well, believe it," Vaan said, shifting through the papers as he sat at the desk. He had not moved since the group came in, and kept busy at his work as he allowed his guests to view the sky behind him. After a while, he set down the paper he had been signing and cleared his throat. "May we begin?" he asked, gesturing to the chairs and sofas surrounding his desk.

"Of course," King Mickey said apologetically, pulling Donald and Goofy away from the windows. Riku did likewise with Sora, pushing him towards a chair.

"Can we go out to the edge later and look down?" Sora asked Vaan excitedly. "I've never been this high up before."

"Of course you may - once we have chatted a bit," Vaan answered with a laugh. It only lasted momentarily before he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk, looking at them with a serious expression. "How much do any of you know of the situation you left behind in the capital city?"

It was quiet for a moment before King Mickey replied. "Not much, unfortunately. After witnessing the dead queen and the murder of Madame Lirona, we ran to where Geni was living at the time and collected our equipment and supplies. We left as soon as the Guards began to storm the building, and headed out of the city immediately. We spent the last 5 nights fleeing from them, and witnessing some of the airships searching for us, until today when we began the mad dash to the teleportation device and arrived here," he concluded, leaving out a few key notes.

"I see. Well, to say the least, the city and the rest of the realm are in a complete and utter uproar at the queen's 'supposed' murder. We received the news from one of our weekly traders as he was on a return trip from the capital, one day after the news was released to the public. At the moment, I'm afraid that Geni is public enemy number one, with the rest of you following behind in a close second."

"Well that we had already assumed," King Mickey said with a frown.

"Yes. However…the public opinion within the capital itself has split into two factions: those who side with the government in saying that Geni did it, and those who say she didn't and must have been framed. Of course, most of the highest neigh-sayers came from within the Academia and the different areas where she worked the most: the Nurturing, the ferry boat workers, the primary schools, and major members of the Imperial Council. Now, at the first sign of trouble from the populace, the most influential people backing Geni were taken into custody under reasons of being 'accomplices' to the murders. Even at this moment, the Imperial Council says that they are investigating the situation and freeing those who have been wrongly committed." Vaan snorted. "However, every single implicated person is still in a prison cell to keep their mouths shut, leaving the Council and rulers to prod the mentality of the population in the right direction. Which brings us to who is actually _ruling_ at this very moment."

"Well, isn't it Keldar?" Sora asked. "He was the next in line to rule with Geni," he pointed out.

"Well, yes…and no," Vaan said, scratching his chin and leaning back in his chair, his blue eyes turned worriedly towards the ceiling. "Prince Keldar has assumed the role of Royal Elect, pending upon the Imperial Council's decision to allow him to rule alone. On the other hand, there is one person who has almost all the power he needs now to take control of the realm and put all of us under his thumb. He swooped in and pointed the first fingers, spouting 'loyalty to the fallen queen and death to the traitor who was a wolf in lamb's clothing in their midst.' I'll give you three guesses."

"Donovan," Riku almost snarled.

Vaan clapped unenergetically. "And he wins the prize. Donovan has control as Regent, making him the co-ruler with Keldar at the moment, although I highly doubt it will last. Once he finds a way to get Geni out of the picture permanently, Keldar will be no problem. And after that…" Vaan shrugged.

"I have a question, though," Sora spoke slowly. Everyone in the room looked his way. "Why is Donovan so power hungry? The Queen seemed to trust him enough."

Vaan sighed. "That is an old story - and not one many people know of. Those who were there are dead or under Donovan's influence by now, leaving only those who are descended from them or heard through them of what happened. You see, Donovan…he was the one…who murdered the king."


	30. Table Conversations

Chapter 29

"Are you serious?" Sora started, sitting up in his seat with wide eyes. "Wait…this doesn't make sense," he said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"No, it doesn't," Riku concurred. "Why would Donovan have been one of the Queen's advisors if he was the one who killed her husband? Wouldn't he have been sentenced somehow for treason?"

"One would have thought," Vaan sighed, leaning back in his chair. "However, Donovan is a very clever and very shrewd man; at one time I would have considered him a great asset to the Realm except for his dissatisfaction at coming from a lowly, common born family. He always had great aspirations and great talent as well; he quickly rose through the ranks of the Academia, and somewhere along the way he met His Majesty and they became close friends. This might sound a little cliché, but both His Majesty and Donovan both meet Queen Hisako during their period at the Academia. Donovan asked the King to give Hisako a letter from him, but the Queen mistook the letter as being from him. Of course, they hit it off right away, and much later became man and wife followed by King and Queen. Donovan never really forgave the King for betraying him, but he was always careful to never show it. In fact, he was the first to congratulate and help them with whatever problems there were. I guess he never got over his resentment of the King, and when the time came he took it from him."

"What do you mean?" King Mickey asked. "Donovan took what?"

"Well," Vaan began, looking up towards the ceiling, "about 175 years ago, for no apparent reason creatures known as the Nohlmul began attacking towns and cities to the far west of the capital, where they were known to live in massive colonies."

"The King died in that war – the Queen told us about that," Sora interrupted. "She said he passed away defeating the queen of the Nohlmul so they would stop attacking people and their homes."

"Oh, so you know this story already," Vaan murmured. "Good – then I can skip to the end. The King originally was not going to fight the Queen – he wanted to try to communicate with her, to try to make peace with her and her colonies. Donovan, of course, trailed along with him to 'help,' supposedly. Thank goodness he heeded the warnings of his wife, because he at least took along a dozen Elite Guards as well for added protection. Now, this is the vague part. The King, Donovan, and six Elite Guards went down into the colony – and only Donovan returned. Battered and blood spattered, of course, but he was the only person to return alive. According to him, they were ambushed as they entered the main part of the colony, with the Nohlmul apparently focusing their attack on His Majesty. He was the only one to escape, to try to bring back help; he also added later that it was the wish of the King for him to do so evidently. The six Elite Guards and Donovan went back down into the colony after the King and their comrades, and again only Donovan returned – this time so beaten up that he was on the verge of death."

"I'm starting to see a pattern here…" Riku grumbled angrily.

"Wait, though…" Sora interrupted again. "If Donovan was the only one who came back alive wouldn't everyone have thought it was suspicious? I mean, aren't the Elite Guards and the King supposed to be some of the most powerful people in this Realm? Why didn't anyone question him on what happened?"

"Because there wasn't anyone to say otherwise," King Mickey explained softly. "The guards, the King – they were all dead already. And coming back almost dead would have been a plus on his side; who would incriminate a man who had tried his hardest to save his best friend?"

"Exactly," Vaan agreed. "And so did the Queen. She thanked him, and gave him special commendations for doing so – also making him one of her chief advisors. However…have any of you noticed it yet?"

"Noticed what?" Goofy asked, for the first time speaking up in the somber conversation.

Riku's head suddenly shot up from where it had been studying a piece of shiny stone that was sitting delicately on one of the bookshelves. "There weren't any survivors!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Yeah, we kind of already knew that Riku," Sora said, rolling his eyes.

"No, Sora – don't you see? If there weren't any survivors, how did anyone find out about what had happened?!" he exclaimed, standing up. He began pacing in front of his chair. "One of the Elite Guards, or maybe even the King, must have lived long enough to get to safety and tell someone the truth of what happened. Only, the real question is this: why doesn't the entire populace know the truth?" he said, pausing to turn and face Vaan.

Vaan's head nodded at him encouragingly. "Clever, very clever. But you are absolutely right – one of the Elite Guards was able to crawl out of the colony, even though he had fatal injuries, and get to the nearest town, which was several miles away. Once there, he told the people of what happened. A rescue group was formed to storm the colony, but as they were assembling in town a large contingent of Guards suddenly showed up in full battle armor." Vaan abruptly stopped speaking, his voice suddenly taking on a very grim tone. "Only one little boy and one little girl survived."

One could hear a pin drop inside of the room. No one spoke; jaws dropped, eyes staring wide in disbelief, thought processes halted.

"Wh…what did you say?" Sora whispered.

"You can't be serious," King Mickey said, his face set in a permanently shocked position.

Vaan was still staring up at the ceiling, his expression blank. After a moment, he took a deep breath and brought his eyes down to earth and the males sitting in front of him. "The little boy and the little girl who survived the massacre of Rabanastre…that was Penelo and I, 175 years ago."

Sora looked down, struggling to find words. "I'm…so sorry," he murmured.

Vaan snorted. "Thank you for the late condolences, but what has past has past – the city is buried underneath a forest, and the dead remembered only in our memories." He paused, rubbing the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, more years showing on his young face than should have. "Penelo and I ran from the city, hiding by day and sneaking through the forests by night, trying to bypass all of the Guards who were searching for any survivors. It took us two weeks to finally get to the next town, and by then we were half-dead. We collapsed just inside of the city gate, and when we awoke we found out that a sudden 'plague' had taken every life in Rabanastre, and the city itself was permanently off limits. Of course, we didn't tell anyone we were from there until years later when I met my mentor. Either way, we were the only ones who knew the truth, this being the only proof," he finished, putting his hand upon the large medallion on his chest. "This belonged to the Elite Guard who had escaped to our city, and died in front of my eyes."

"That's awful, a-hyuk," Goofy said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Why?" Donald said, clenching his feathered fingers. "Why go to so much trouble to cover it up?"

"So he could have the power he always wanted," King Mickey explained. "After taking out the King, it would have only been a matter of time before his hunger for power flared up again and he would go after the Queen. It was only until now that he finally succeeded."

"Thanks to us," Vaan said, for the first time in a while smiling brightly. "The sky pirates followed the Queen, being some of her most loyal subjects – without her ever knowing. We've foiled dozens of attempted assassinations, even losing a few of our own in the process. What I don't understand, though," he said, leaning forward once more, "is why none of our people that I had placed in the Queen's Elite Guard were there the night she was murdered. However, since none of them have reported back to me since before the incident, I can only assume the worst."

"They were captured?" Sora asked.

"…yes," Vaan answered, with a moment's hesitation, noticed by no one. "So here is our problem: we know the Queen has been murdered, and probably by Donovan, but we don't know how. Second, we have to assume he is going to come after Geni until she is dead or is permanently out of the Realm. Thirdly, after finishing off her Keldar is the next to go – afterwards making him the permanent ruler. Right now, he is in his second phase. Coming to Bhujerba will put him off for a while, because this is sky pirate territory, with the border being watched carefully by both sides. There is no neutral territory I could send you to, but then it probably wouldn't be as safe as being in our own." Vaan sighed. "We need a plan; we need to figure out what Donovan's thinking and planning, what he's going to do next and in the end."

"Is there any way to force his hand in a direction of our choice?" Riku asked Vaan, his expression thoughtful.

"We know he wants her gone – more dead than alive at the moment, but at least out of the picture. Since he blamed her for the Queen's and Lirona's deaths, it is most likely that if we send her anywhere near where the Guards can get at her that she'll be more than likely killed by the populace before she can even have a chance to explain or gather evidence towards her cause. Therefore, we will keep her in our territory. I think now is the best time to rally the Bhujerbans – and not under us, but under Geni."

"Really? Why?" King Mickey asked, intrigued by the idea. "What does she have to offer them?"

"A future," Vaan answered with a smile, before they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in," Vaan called, eying them all. "Remember, not a word to her." All five of them nodded in understanding.

"Ah, here you all are," Penelo exclaimed, waltzing in with Kairi on her heels. She was now dressed in an outfit similar to Penelo's; she had on a short brown skirt that covered a pair of green leggings, with a tight fitting leather bustier that was tied in the back which covered a slightly puffy short sleeved cream colored shirt. As well, she was also wearing a pair of knee high leather boots and leather bracers on her forearms. "Important business to discuss, hmm?" she asked Vaan and she walked behind him and hugged him from behind.

"As usual," Vaan replied with a smile. "Hard to believe that me of all people would be sitting behind a desk."

Penelo snorted gently. "Migelo saw how much potential you had, and all of the potential you wasted on staring up at the skies wanting to become a sky pirate."

Vaan's eyes clouded over. "Yeah," he replied, and suddenly he looked very much like the immature and still growing young man in his early twenties that he was supposed to have been. Shaking his head, he asked, "And where is our last guest? Still cleaning up?"

"Geni? Oh no. She is in the library pouring over some old texts we salvaged from the ruins all those years ago. She mentioned something about 'old treaty lines' and 'ties of loyalty' – oh, and something about migration patterns of some animal or another."

"Migration patterns?" Vaan replied, raising an eyebrow. "I don't quite see how it's relevant, but she probably has her reasons."

"So," Kairi said, turning towards Sora, as she had been standing behind his chair, "what have all of you been discussing so intently before we got here?"

"Nothing much," Sora quickly replied, glancing minutely towards Vaan.

"She knows," Penelo answered to Sora's vague reply. "I told her the same story Vaan just told you, and she has also promised to keep silent about it to Geni until the right time comes."

"Thank you," Vaan told Penelo, squeezing her hand over his shoulder. "Well, I believe that dinner should be prepared by now, and seeing that the _Strahl_ has already docked at the Aerodrome they should be waiting for us to eat."

"Who is 'they'?" Sora asked, standing along with Vaan.

"The sky pirates who pilot the _Strahl_, as well as my mentors. You will be meeting them shortly, and I will introduce you to them. Penelo, could you go and get Geni? I know how hard it is to tear her away from her books," he told her with a laugh.

"Of course. We'll be there momentarily," Penelo replied, practically skipping towards the door as she threw it open.

"I'll go with you," Riku offered, quickly following behind her. Penelo nodded, and the two of them disappeared down the long hallway.

Vaan smiled, watching as the two of them left. _So he's the one, hmm?_ "Well, shall we? The three of them will join us momentarily." He gestured towards the door, allowing his guests to leave first.

"Do you have a large library here?" King Mickey asked Vaan as they walked side by side down a long hallway opposite of his office, with Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy trailing slightly behind them.

"Large enough, but not as big as the one at the Academia. On the other hand, we do have some books here that they do not. We also have the best aeronautics facility here on Bhujerba, even better than the one at the capital, so our airships and technology are always at least one step ahead of theirs," he commented slyly.

"Is that what the _Strahl_ looked so different from the royal airships?" Donald commented from behind them, considering he was the main pilot for the gummi ship.

"Correct. We have been working on sleeker designs for the larger, more mechanized airships to allow them to fly faster and utilize the air currents much more effectively. Ah, in here please," Vaan gestured as he held open a nondescript wooden door for his guests.

"Ah, I guess we were early to the party then," a British accent said from within, laughing shortly.

"It appears so," a soft voice replied in a refined tone.

As the group walked into a large dining room, two people turned from the other side of the room and walked towards them. One was a handsome looking man, with short-cropped brown hair, a billowy white shirt pulled in with leather vestments, with leather sided pants and boots to finish the ensemble. Two large holsters rested against his sides, one on each hip, and each held a long and powerful looking automatic. However, his companion was much taller than anyone in the room by a good foot…if you didn't include her ears. The lithe woman with a dark complexion stood in a suit of filigree black armor, sheer fabric only covering her modestly in parts. Her white hair cascaded around her face and ran down the middle of her back; her black helmet covered the top of her head, but allowed two large holes for her ears to stick out comfortably. Her long nails on her fingers and toes gave the appearance of claws, but her movements were as graceful as a dancer.

Vaan walked up to the two of them, and grasped the man's forearm, the man copying him and doing the same. "Balthier, Fran, welcome back. I've heard already that your mission was a success," he told them with a smile.

"All's well that ends well, with knocking the royals around a bit in the process an added bonus on our part," Balthier replied with a telltale smirk.

"The ships only took damage to their engines and navigation; none of the humes on board were harmed that we know of," Fran told Vaan as she looked down at him.

"Good," Vaan nodded. He turned towards his guests. "This is King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Sora – her brother," he added with a smirk of his own.

"Oh really," Balthier said, stepping forward to get a better look at Sora. He peered into his face, as if searching for something. "Wonder if he's got the gift too," he muttered to Vaan, leaning over. Vaan shrugged minutely. "So you're Sora, eh? I've heard plenty about you boy."

"Um, thanks, I guess…" Sora paused.

"The name's Balthier, and my partner here is Fran," he answered, tossing a thumb in the rabbit woman's direction.

"Pleased to meet you," she answered, bowing her head towards them.

Kairi, who had been standing the closest to Fran, gazed at her in wonder. Fran slowly turned towards her. "You have never seen a Viera before, have you not?" she asked her.

"No," Kairi said softly, shaking her head. "Are-are they…" she began, looking upwards.

"Real? As real as your own ears are to you," Fran replied with a small smile. "My people are of the forest, and we listen to the Green Word."

"The Green Word?" Goofy asked, confused.

"The speech of the forest, of all living things," she carefully explained in her passive voice.

"I see," Goofy replied, awed.

"However," Balthier suddenly interrupted, "I don't see our guest of honor, whose bottom we just saved. Where is that bloody girl?"

"Balthier! Fran!" an excited voice suddenly shouted as the owner of it came barreling into the dining room. Geni ran towards Balthier who caught her in his strong arms and hugged her tightly.

"Bought time, fledgling! We were getting hungry," he said in a mocked stern voice as he pushed her away from him to look her over. "And you haven't grown anymore either, runt."

"I am not a runt!" Geni huffed with a smile. She turned towards the Viera. "Fran," she said, walking towards her.

Fran opened her arms to embrace her. "_We_ welcome you back, little one. You seem to be faring much better since the last time I saw you."

Geni nodded, looking up. "I am, and that in itself is a long story as well. Will you and Balthier be here long?"

The two pilots exchanged a look. "A time," Fran finally replied. "The _Strahl_ needs repairs as well as supplies."

"As well as to pound out a few nasty dents those bloody ships put in her," Balthier muttered gruffly.

"Well, you can tell us your tale over dinner," Vaan told her as he saw Riku and Penelo walk into the dining room. "Shall we?" he asked, holding out his hand for Penelo.

"Good. I'm starving!" Sora said with a happy bounce to his step.

Over the next two hours Geni told the story of how she had been coerced into joining Organization XIII, how she had met Riku during that time, how Sora had broken the spell on her, the battles leading up to that fateful time in The World That Never Was, staying on the Destiny Islands for a while, the battle for compatibility with Keldar and her initial crowning, going back to the islands to deliver the bad news, and then the events of the past week: her and Riku's battle, the party, Elwen's blatant announcement, her work at the Academia, having dinner with the Queen, the murders, and escaping through the forests until they finally reached Bhujerba. The only details she left out were staying with the creatures that lived inside of the mountains of the Beast's Rest. "And so here we are," she summarized. She picked up the goblet in front of her to take a long sip of water.

Fran, Balthier, Vaan, and Penelo were silent as they took in the last part of her story. Vaan was the first to speak. "So I was correct in assuming Donovan was behind all of this. This bodes badly for the outlying territories, as well as all of the citizens within the capital and the surrounding areas."

"What does he hope to accomplish?" Fran murmured to herself as one of her large ears twitched.

"Whatever it is, it's sure to cause trouble," Balthier stated. "Fran, do you know of any old myths or legends, anything that speaks about when there is no monarchy?"

Fran sat silent for a moment, one ear slightly swiveling in the direction of the door, listening to a conversation of two servers just outside of it. "Only one which I can think of. Thousands of years ago, a sickness came over the Realm and many humes and creatures died from it; it spoke of the fact that there was almost no one left, and that it took many years to repopulate the Realm again. To keep order, a small group was put in charge of who was left. Of course, after the population grew, the rule was transferred back to the chosen monarchy as it was before that time."

"What about some kind of power?" All eyes turned towards Sora as he spoke. "Is there any kind of artifact, a certain spell, a magical fountain, something to give him tons of power? Maybe something he could only attain if he were the one and only ruler?"

"An artifact?" Vaan said to himself. "There isn't anything so powerful as to allow one person infinite control over anyone else, not in this Realm or any other. The only way someone could have control over you is by a spell that alters the mind, or that they have something you need."

"Could it be that simple?" Penelo suddenly said, her voice laced with curiosity.

"What is it?" Vaan immediately turned towards her. "Have you thought of something?"

"What if the power Donovan seeks is something that we see everyday? Something that shouldn't be controlled, but people have controlled in the past." She darted her glance toward her guests. "Something that you have fought to prevent, and that one of you can control."

Riku immediately understood. "Darkness," he snarled. "Why didn't we think of it before?"

"It makes perfect sense," King Mickey added. "It began with Ansem the Wise's research on hearts, then Xehanort's Heartless, and then his Nobody Xemnas along with Organization XIII, plus Maleficent, Pete, and all of the other bad guys we've fought."

"Hades, Clayton, Jafar, Captain Hook, Boogie, Ursula, Shan Yu, Captain Barbossa, the MCP and Sark, and Scar too," Sora said, counting them off on his fingers.

"But how?" Kairi asked. "Wouldn't he have to unlock the Keyhole of this Realm in order to get at it? Or any other world or Realm for that matter?"

"There's no chance of that happening," Vaan said quickly. A quick kick to his right knee caught his attention. "I mean, no one has ever found the Keyhole for this Realm, let alone sealed it."

"What about when the Heartless and Nobodies began to swarm these last two years – at least in our time?" Sora asked him curiously.

"I've never seen one," Vaan answered him.

"Neither have I," Penelo added.

"Child, there have never been any creatures of darkness in this world other than the Nohlmul," Fran said to him gently.

"Never?" Sora asked, unconvinced. "There have always been Heartless, no matter what world we've been to. I think this is the first time that I have ever known of that a world didn't have any whatsoever."

Riku agreed with Sora; however, he kept quiet about it. He had noticed Vaan's barely perceptible flinch just after he answered Kairi's question. As it was, he thought it strange that Geni had not spoken up once as of yet. Looking down the table at her, as she was sitting on the opposite side of Vaan across from Penelo, he saw her discreetly hold her hand up as she yawned.

Apparently, his observation caught another's eyes. "It does not matter much if there were or were not creatures of darkness in this realm other than the Nohlmul. However, if you would please excuse me? Geni, please come with me," Fran spoke in her soft voice, but one in which there were no nonsense or refusing.

Geni quickly stood up, setting her napkin on the table next to her half finished plate of food. "Yes Fran," she quickly said, jogging over to where to the Viera was leaving the room and only giving a quick glance back before the two of them disappeared through the doors.

"Hmm, not ones for talk tonight, I would say," Balthier commented as he leaned against the back of his chair.

"Apparently not," Vaan replied absentmindedly with a frown.

"It has been a while since they have spoken, just the two of them," Penelo reminded them. "Fran has been worried about her, you know."

"Why?" King Mickey asked her, the same feeling churning about inside him.

"Fran has this eerie sense of foresight, which has led us time and again into and out of trouble," Balthier said with a wave of his hand. "My guess is that she just wants to confirm them with her – at least, with all of the problems popping up out of the blue lately."

"And speaking of which, now is the time to decide on our course of action," Penelo reminded them. "We can't just ignore this anymore. The problems in the capital have been spilling out into the rest of the realm for years now – and as of today they have landed on our doorstep." She looked at Vaan. "What should we do?"

Vaan stared down at the table, deep in thought. "We couldn't – we can't – turn her away, not now or ever. She risked her life and all of yours as well, to bring us the information that would lock Donovan away forever, if not send him to his death," he said slowly as he turned and nodded at Penelo. Reaching underneath the table, Lirona's necklace suddenly appeared in one hand with a large wooden box in the other. She carefully placed them on the table next to Vaan, who first took the necklace. "This necklace contains all of the information we need that she collected on the night of her and the Queen's murder. It has Donovan's confession on it, as well as the video footage of what she observed just before she entered the Audience Chamber just after you." He set the necklace down and ever so gently took the brown wooden box into his hands, and delicately removed the cover from the box. He turned it on a slight angle so everyone at the table could see what was inside the box. "These," he began, "are the jewels that can only belong to a Crown Princess. They signify who she is, and the magical power she controls. There are only seven sets of these, as well as the seven sets for Crown Prince, the seven sets for King, and the seven sets for Queen. The seven sets correspond to each color of the rainbow, and the higher a set is the more powerful the owner of that set is as well."

"Gawrsh," Goofy said in awe, looking into the box. Donald's eyes were glittering with the look of treasure in them, as well as drooling slightly out of the side of his mouth.

"They're beautiful," Kairi sighed, wishing she could wear something that pretty.

"Aren't they?" Penelo answered her with equal longing.

"Isn't that the same color the queen was wearing?" Riku asked Vaan. "I remember her crown had a jewel of the same color."

"As you can see," Vaan continued, ignoring the commentary, "the jewels on this particular set are violet in the color - the highest ranking possible. Keldar's, as far as I remember, are indigo, one less than Geni's. You were right - both her majesty and his majesty had violet stones in their crowns. Both of them as well as Geni, and to an extent Keldar, are some of the most powerful rulers that the Realm has seen in hundreds of years." Vaan carefully replaced the cover on the box and set it in front of him on the table.

Sora whistled. "I knew she had a lot of magic, but..."

Vaan nodded. "More so now than years ago, now that her heart has been restored. Knowing her, she could take on the full Imperial Army if she wanted to."

"But isn't that what we're up against?" Riku pointed out. "It seems from what you've told us, it isn't going to be any easy matter to get back into the capital to set things straight."

"No, it won't be," Balthier told him with a frown. "Which is why fly boy here is gathering the masses as we speak."

"The masses?" King Mickey asked Vaan questioningly. "You have an army of your own?"

"Well, not _exactly_," Vaan said, scratching the side of his face. "I've asked that all of the sky pirates that are stationed here as well as those on the southern side of the mountains to gather here in Bhujerba. Along with them will be some of the major traders along the two rivers that run between the mountains, as well as all of the local leaders. In general, anyone who can lend a decent hand to our cause without causing excess trouble for civilians. The fact is Queen Hisako ruled over all of us, even though we may predominantly rule and make decisions here."

"Which also means that some people might not want to stick their necks out excessively if they don't have to," Balthier said pointedly. "There are cowards among us yet."

"But wouldn't they be worried about the interests of their new ruler?" Kairi asked them. "They would want someone to be in power whose interests aligned with their own - not someone who would cause them further trouble."

"War propitiates money, and money makes the world go round," the sky pirate replied with his telling smirk. "No matter who wins, someone's interests will be in favor. We, however, need to make sure that our interests are the one's win in the end."

"Another war…" Penelo sighed, a touch of melancholy in her voice.

"The same one, my dear," he reminded her. "We've been fighting this since before the King left us."

Vaan pounded his fist on the table, causing everyone present to jump slightly. His knuckles were white, and a fierce gleam shone in his eyes. "It will be the last," he growled out. "I swore long ago that no one else would ever go through what we did, and I intend to keep that."

Penelo gently took hold of Vaan's fist, her fingers gently prodding until it loosened. "We know you will," she reminded him softly. She turned toward the rest of the assembled group. "Since this afternoon people from all over the southern regions have been arriving here at Bhujerba for a war council. They have brought food and water, weapons and airships, and their talents in commanding, strategy, or fighting - whatever is deemed necessary. No one wants another war…we still haven't fully coped from the last one. Tomorrow begins the real work: assembling the assortment of ships and peoples into a force that can rival the Imperial Army and their best. And for that to happen, Geni must take her rightful place as its leader."

While the heated discussion took place within the four walls of the elegant dining room, Fran and Geni had stolen away from the estate and were making their way towards the Lhusu Mines, a place where both knew they wouldn't be overheard or seen. They ran through the darkened back alleys, glad for the still waxing moon high above them. If anyone happened to see anything, all they would have felt would have been a gentle breeze quickly gliding past them as they disappeared into the night. Fran, whose previous occupation before sky pirate was the Captain of the Watchers in a city of Viera, ran gracefully and soundlessly on the cobbled stones, Geni doing her best to keep pace and make the least amount of noise as possible.

Turning the last corner, the two of them saw the long stairwell that lead down into the depths of the mines. Jumping from step to step, they made quick work of the several flights and began the trek into the pitch-black recesses of the mines. Normally, it would be lit with bright lanterns for the workers, but due to the incoming visitors which had been arriving that day the workers were needed elsewhere until more fuel was required - which would be soon. As the two of them twisted and turned through the stone corridors, past the bridge where if you looked down all you would see is sky, and back into the mine to one of the seldom-used chambers. It was dotted with large crystals; common, but which reflected the least amount of light into pretending the dark cavern was as bright as day.

Fran slowed, Geni following suite. Fran was invisible in the darkness, save for the luminescence of her bright eyes. As they entered the time worn chamber, she carefully brought forth a small tongue of fire in her palm with a basic Fire spell. The area around her suddenly shone, and one could see that there was nothing around them except for a few torches, which had been hung on the walls long ago. Walking up to the farthest torch from the entrance, she carefully gave the wood her offering. It snatched it out of her hand greedily, and the dried timber burst into flame. Not brilliant, but bright enough, the room lit itself through its reflecting crystals. Geni and Fran could now see each other quite well into the dim light. Completely opposite of Fran's black filigree armor, Geni had changed her clothes as well - after they had left the dining room. During dinner she had borrowed one of Penelo's extra navy and yellow tunics, sparing the leather armor but donning a knee length skirt. Now, however, she was wearing an outfit similar to the traditional clothing of the Viera, but much less reminiscent.

Geni wore a bronzed filigree armor that blended well into the night, but unlike Fran's hers covered her stomach and chest much more conscientiously. She had still opted to wear her knee length leather boots that had been given to her, and a dark brown cloak was wrapped around her shoulders, hiding her face from view when she had been running with Fran. Now at their destination, she pulled the hood away from her face and breathed deeply. "What a workout," she said with a smile. "I had forgotten how much fun it was to run with you."

"The city does not a forest make," Fran replied with a tightlipped smile. "Now come – we do not have much time this night."

"True," Geni replied, and stepped forward. The two women went and stood before an enormous clear crystal that jutted out from the floor, its smoothest and widest surface facing them. Fran held up her hand, writing strange curling symbols in the air that glowed with a green magic. The crystal responded in kind, glowing a soft green. As the finished, she snapped her fingers above her head before bringing them down, and almost blowing a magic imbued kiss at the crystal, exhaling. "How long?" Geni murmured to her.

"Not long," the Viera replied. "Depending on Jote's answer, that is." Fran looked down at the small child next to her. "You are sure you wish to ask for the Viera's help as well? They do not like to travel out of their woods."

"You did," Geni replied, looking up at her to give her a smile.

"Well, yes...but mine was a different matter completely," Fran sidestepped the question. "The crystal...she comes," she said rather quickly for a patient Viera.

Geni turned her head to see a large pair of vanilla colored ears come into focus inside the crystal, before a Viera with a pink dress appeared. "Fran," she said, rolling her r's, pointedly ignoring the other person within her view.

"Jote," Fran said, dipping her head in respect to her older sister.

"Lady Jote," Geni also greeted, bowing in the traditional fashion she had been taught at the capital.

Jote turned her large eyes towards her, silent. "And with what pleasure do I have the honor of speaking with you, after these long years?" Jote asked Fran, frowning.

"Not me, sister," Fran said gently with as much composure as she could muster. "The little hume wishes to speak with you."

"Hn," she answered, turning her eye towards the short girl standing next to the extremely tall Viera. "And what do you need, o mighty princess of humes?"

Taking a deep breath, Geni looked up and straight into Jote's eyes. "I need your help," she told her in a calm voice.

"Really," Jote said in a sarcastic voice. "And what does the mighty princess need of us lowly un-humes?"

Geni forced herself to stay composed. "I need your help in order to retake the capital city. Donovan was the one responsible for murdering the Queen and Lirona, and now he is in the position to take out Keldar as well. Under the Queen's reign, your people were left in peace – just as you wanted, correct? You know what would happen if Donovan were allowed to run the Realm his way," she told her, narrowing her gaze.

Jote was silent for a good many minutes. Fran and Geni waited silently, watching her face for any kind of reaction. "You do make a good point, hume," Jote said quietly after a good while. "However, this is larger than only the Viera I lead here. The request of yours must go before the Viera Council if we are to supply warriors to your cause. I am correct, then, in assuming this is what you are asking us for?"

Geni nodded. "Warriors to help penetrate the capital without being seen, to allow us to take the palace by surprise while a diversion distracts most of the Guards elsewhere."

Jote nodded, a strange look of what could be seen as respect in her eyes. "A good, if simple, plan. I will send a message to the other Council members, and we will meet in 2 days time – if it is possible. You will have your answer in 3 days then."

Geni bowed her head low. "Thank you, Lady Jote, for considering my request."

"Polite...for a hume," Jote replied. Geni flushed slightly, but Fran kept to herself the humor she heard in her sister's voice. The two sisters looked at each other through the crystal, smiling slightly. "If you were a bit taller, and had our ears and claws, you could be Viera," Jote told Geni softly.

Geni was startled to hear such a compliment. Viera hardly ever had anything good to say about humans or the other creatures of the Realm, preferring to stay hidden within their dense forests all their lives. "Thank you," she managed to stammer out. "I look forward to your reply."

"As do I sister," Fran added. "Could you...please say hello to Mjrn for me?" she asked timidly.

"I will do so," Jote said in a firm voice, all pretenses gone. "I will speak to you again from here in 3 days." And with that, Jote's image vanished from the crystal, and the green magic slowly faded until the room glowed softly with the last embers of the torch. The two women stood in the semidarkness, contemplating.

"That went...better than I had hoped," Geni finally said.

"Jote seemed to take a liking to you," Fran said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah," Geni replied, staring off into the darkness. She listened to the sounds of the mine, the occasional rodent snuffling around for food, bats flying soundlessly through the air high above them.

"What are you thinking?" Fran asked gently.

"Once the battles begin, I won't be able to hide it from them anymore. They'll know the secret of this Realm."

"You already knew this," Fran reminded her. "Only cowards run from the truth, and you are no coward."

"But they think that I am not worthy of wielding one," Geni protested slightly. "They know of others, but the prophecy..."

"May or may not come to pass. Have you betrayed them in any such way?" Fran demanded. "I know you have not told whole truths, but have you ever deliberately lied to them? You have hidden truths from them, so they would not get hurt. Tomorrow, and in the days after, you will have to handle them with the knowledge they will receive."

"But –"

"No. This is the path you have chosen, young one. Whether you agree with me or not, you have already chosen the path as one of the rightful rulers of this Realm. Will you now go back on your promise to Lirona and Hisako? Will you turn your back on all of the people who are now depending on your success?" Fran boomed in the rocky chamber, standing tall with her eyes flashing in the twilight. "Will you betray _us_?"

"No!" Geni shouted back, near tears in her eyes. "I would never betray any of you; not now, not ever." She was shaking so hard that her entire body shivered. "I wouldn't...couldn't betray any of you again. Yet I will," she whispered, half in terror, her hands clutching at her arms.

"No, you would not," Fran said more gently this time, coming forward to embrace the small girl in her arms, her fingered claws wrapped around her shoulders. "It has yet to come to pass."

"But it will. All the others have."

"Then only time will tell from now forward. You must make sure that it does not." Fran squeezed her as tight as she could to her chest, wishing she could still hear the Green Word – to ask the trees for their protection and guidance.

"I don't know if I can do it Fran," Geni admitted to her quietly. "Was this really my destiny?"

"I don't know," Fran admitted. "But it is yours to claim if you so wish to. If you truly want to, I am sure that Keldar can handle these problems…"

"No! I don't want to dump this all on him," Geni said, pushing away from Fran to look up at her. "I just wish…I just wish that I could be like everyone else."

"If you were like everyone else, then you would not be yourself anymore - you would be such a mixture of beings that you would not longer become unique and precious to me as the hume you are now," Fran told her, cupping her cheek with her right hand, her clawed fingers stroking it. "Now, compose yourself so that we might return. Although," she paused, "it might be better if you returned to the others in your own clothing."

Geni looked down before letting out a choked giggle. "I suppose you're right. The Viera do tend to wear slightly _revealing_ clothes." With a sweep of her hand, the Vieran outfit disappeared and was replaced with her original clothes that she had worn since she had left the capital. "Let's go - everyone is probably waiting on us."

"Let us go then," Fran nodded in consensus, and the two women began to make their way back towards the Marquis' estate in a companionable silence.


	31. After A Long Wait

Chapter 30

"And so that is our immediate course of action," Vaan finished, wanting to slump back in his chair except for the dozens of pairs of eyes staring at him. He was currently in the largest meeting room the estate had, with the leaders of the clans and traders of the southern region gathered about him. "Any questions so far?"

"Will the Princess really be helping us?" one older gentleman called from the back. "How can we be sure –"

"Of course she will be," Vaan answered in slight exasperation, seemingly for the hundredth time that day. "She owes her allegiance not just to the capital and royal family, but to Bhujerba and the Southern Cities as well. Besides, what would it benefit for her to only have half of the Realm under her rule and not the other half? Civil war is not what we are after here."

"She brought us the information regarding the murders of Queen Hisako and Madame Lirona, did she not? She brought the undeniable proof that Donovan admitted to killing them both. I would think that she would want revenge for that just as much as the rest of us," Balthier pointed out. He was standing behind Vaan, his second in command.

"And who could unite the humes more?" Fran added, standing next to Balthier. "There are many in the cities who know she is innocent without proof."

"Besides, she has been helping with preparations since she arrived here," Penelo spoke up, the last of the three behind Vaan. "Since her highness arrived, she has done nothing but prepare the rooms you are staying in along with your men, cooking the food you eat, gathering supplies, and fixing and arming the airships. She has even found time to help with petitions some of the people have brought her, and given council to them. Why would she do all of this and then turn her back to us?"

The room was silent as they thought upon the words. Penelo sighed, praying that Vaan would not become such a stubborn old man when the time came as well.

Vaan noticed her annoyance, and smiled. He also turned slightly and nodded his head to his mentors, thanking them for their input as well. Clearing his throat, he brought attention back to himself. "The Bhujerbans have already decided to go to war upon the capital and bring Donovan to justice. All that we are asking now is that you aid us in this quest. Will the sky pirates of the Realm once more join hands in battle? Or are you destined to fly south for the winter of our discontent?"

Suddenly, one very old man towards the front began to stand, leaning heavily on the desk in front of him and on his cane. A young man stood with him, helping him unsteadily to his feet. "Do not...call us by our cowardice, young man," he said slowly. "We have seen many more years than we can count. Our lineage within the sky dwindles year by year, and yet our people remain free to fly in the blue. We have fought the Royals time and again, and we will not lose to them ever. If the Princess says she is going to help us, then I believe her; besides, it is not often that we have a Princess of the earth and a Princess of the sky." He chuckled softly. "I speak for me and my ships: we will aide you this day."

"As will we," another man called from the back.

"Don't forget us!" a group of young people said from the side.

"We'll kick their as–"

"No foul language!"

"Sorry dad..."

Vaan smiled, seeing that he now had the full support of every fleet in existence outside of the capital's jurisdiction. "Thank you, thank you!" he called out loudly, motioning for silence. "We thank you all for your support in this time of crisis. At the moment, we need to refurbish and resupply each and every ship, and get every able bodied man and woman ready for a fight. For now, the Fifth Summoning of the Clans of the Sky Pirates will reconvene tomorrow morning. Please bring a complete list of ships, warriors, and provisions which you are able to supply. Also, have your ships be prepared to sail within 2 days time. Thank you – you are all dismissed."

There was a sudden influx of voices as the various heads of the clans filed out of the meeting hall and to their respective clans staying in assorted places throughout the floating city. As the last group left, Vaan sighed and sat down heavily in a chair. Penelo came up and gently threw her arms around his shoulders, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "You did a wonderful job," she told him truthfully.

"There's an orator in you yet," Balthier admitted, coming around him and sitting on the edge of his desk.

"You did well," Fran also added. "The other sky pirates seem to look up to you, no matter that you are years the child to them."

"Thanks you three," Vaan sighed. "Well, the first hurdle has been passed – we have their cooperation. Now we need to supply thousands of soldiers and hundreds of ships for battle, fly them over the Beasts' Rest, and confront the capital and Donovan in less than a week."

"Doable," Balthier smirked. "Don't forget these are seasoned sky pirates you're dealing with here – every clan has brought everything they will need right away, so the most work will be preparing the ships, arming both the ships and the people, and rearranging everyone and everything evenly."

"However, we're still at the disadvantage with our odds against us at 25 to 1," Vaan pointed out. "How will we make up the thousands upon thousands of troops we'll be short? Yes, we're at an advantage technology wise when we are in the air, but once we are on the ground inside the city...yes, that will be our true challenge."

"Well, we'll figure something out," Penelo told him, squeezing his shoulders. "Right now, our 'figurehead' as you have made her should be aware that she should be at the meeting tomorrow morning."

"Ugh, she's going to hate me for that," Vaan muttered.

"Hn, no more so than she already does," Balthier laughed. "Now come – my stomach tells me it is finally time for dinner."

On the other side of the city, in the Aerodrome, the outside group was getting their first glimpse of the inside of one of the airships, its mechanics, and how to fly one. Sora, Donald, and Goofy felt completely at home in the large aeronautics facility; it's spaciously vaulted ceilings and metal-working going on all around them reminded the three of them of their little chipmunk friends back at the Disney Castle. Riku and King Mickey were fascinated by the hundreds of workers working on the few dozen enormous aircraft facilitated within the Aerodrome at the moment. One ship's outer armor was getting a complete facelift; sparks flew off of it at several points as skilled engineers replaced the worn parts.

"And this here is our flagship, the _Strahl_," the engineer who was giving them the tour stated. "It's run by Balthier and Fran for the most part, since Vaan and Penelo have their own, but it's the fastest and most powerful ship we have by far – even though it definitely isn't the largest," the older man said with a hearty laugh.

"How large is the biggest airship?" Riku asked him, looking to inspect the riveting on the _Strahl_.

"Hmm, well, I'd say that Marquis' ship which the city inherited when they lost power can hold up to 2,000 people or so, more if they don't mind squishing."

"That's enormous!" King Mickey said in surprise. "It must have a hangar all its own."

The engineer nodded. "The only other ship bigger than our _Freedom _is in the capital; goes by the name of _Edenea_. She can hold a little over 6,000 I believe."

"That's huge!" Sora gaped.

The engineer laughed. "Why do you think they made the arena as large as they did? That ship sits in wait underneath it in case of emergencies, so the populace or Guards can load onto it more easily."

"A-hyuk, that makes sense," Goofy told him.

"So how many ships exactly are there here?" Donald piped up.

"Well, the Bhujerban fleet numbers around 200, the trading merchants at 175, and the local and private citizens around 50, so I'd say about 425 ships altogether – the Royal Fleet only has 300 ships, but three-quarters of them are straight battle ships, unlike ours. So I'd say we have pretty even numbers considering."

"Will we get to do any flying?" Sora asked excitedly.

The man laughed. "No, I'm afraid not, young one. Each ship has its own captain and crew, and I know you'll be with the Princess either on the _Strahl_ or the _Remembrance_ when the time comes. Besides, most of the fighting won't be taking place in the sky, but on the ground."

"Oh," Sora said dejectedly.

"Aw, come on Sora, cheer up," Riku told him, elbowing him in his ribs, "Someone's going to have to lead the charge with Geni. You can be her right hand man."

Sora's face lit up. "Really?"

The engineer chimed in. "Sure, why not – it sounds like it would be like old times for your group."

"Old times?" Sora questioned him.

"Sure – running head first into danger, action before thought – you know, what Keybladers do."

Riku's ears twitched as he listened to Sora and the engineer talk. No more was the word mentioned, but Riku had a feeling it hadn't meant to creep up in their conversation in the first place. _Are these people 'them'?_ he wondered to himself.

"Riku?"

He looked down to see King Mickey watching him with a curious expression. "Just wondering about what kind of power the ships use. Since they aren't gummi ships, I'm not too familiar with this kind of technology," he lied smoothly.

"Ah," King Mickey said, nodding. "That is a good question. Excuse me?" he called to the engineer, walking forward to join him and Sora.

Riku breathed out slowly. He hated lying, but he didn't want to unnecessarily worry King Mickey over something he was hoping wouldn't turn into a huge problem.

"Achoo!"

"Bless you!" Kairi told Geni, who was doubled over with her hands over her face. "That sounded like it came out of an elephant!"

"Jub blearing the bust," she said as she stood back up, carefully wiping her nose with a handkerchief.

"I still can't believe how much there is around here," Kairi answered disdainfully as she moved another pile of old rags and placed it in a basket. They were helping to clear out one of the older storage buildings to use as a temporary living shelter for those coming from the southern region as reinforcements for the sky pirates of Bhujerba.

"There were more people than there are now in Bhujerba, years ago," Geni explained to her. "But they all migrated even further south towards the ocean to keep away from the influence of the capital during the forced recruiting against the Nohlmul. Not much different now, though," Geni mumbled as she swept the floor, "from what Vaan is doing. Although I guess asking is better than demanding."

"If they don't do it of their own free will, they'll have to keep moving farther and farther south," Kairi told her gently. "It's probably for the best that they help us against Donovan now than when it's too late."

"You're probably right," Geni sighed. She took the dust pan and swept the last of the dirt on the floor into it. "There – this room is done."

"Which means this whole floor is finished now," Kairi said, sitting down on a wooden crate. "Finally."

"Still beats hiking through a forest for several days on end, huh?" Geni joked, sitting down next to her.

"My blisters still have blisters," Kairi pouted back.

Geni laughed, shaking her head. "Welcome to life on the lamb."

"Not forever though," Kairi laughed back. "This will be over soon enough."

Geni's laugh quieted, the room becoming still. "I hope so," she said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Why are you so worried about all of this? Even during the crisis in The World That Never Was, you were pretty calm compared to all of this – at least from what I've heard. What makes this life threatening situation any different than any of the others?"

"Because last time I wasn't worried that there was a possibility that any of you might die," Geni told her reluctantly. "When fighting the Nobodies and the Heartless, your physical body doesn't take the damage but your heart – which in most cases can be fixed unless it's irreversible. This time, you'll be fighting against real people with real weapons; this time, one of you could get seriously hurt or even die. I don't think I could live with myself if something like that happened to any of you," she said in a choked voice.

Kairi sat there silently, thinking. "Well, we can't leave you by yourself to take care of this. Isn't there any more help we can get?"

Geni shook her head. "I've already asked Vaan enough by calling together all of the clans of the sky pirates, and I've gone beyond insane by asking Fran to help me recruit the Vieras as well."

"The Vieras?"

"Creatures like Fran," Geni said, holding up her hands like long ears above her head. "Last night she contacted them for me, and I asked their leader – Fran's older sister, Jote – to please aide us when we try and conquer the capital. She said she would have an answer for me in 2 days from now, but I doubt she'll send any – the Viera like to stay in their forests and never leave them, not even if it were burning down around them."

"What about the people in the capital who are on your side?"

Geni shook her head. "We won't know until we get there. Of course, by then it would be obvious, but we can't send any messages without incriminating anyone at the moment either. It's bad enough that there are hundreds of people already sitting in prison cells because of me."

Kairi nodded, remembering Penelo's words. "But they believe in you...they know you will come and set things right again. Now come on," she said, tickling her side, "smile. You can't lead an entire Realm into an era of peace on a frown."

Geni's mouth twitched, trying not to laugh as Kairi continued to poke her side. "Okay, okay, I get it. No more frowns, turn them upside-down, the whole works. Happy now?" she said, grinning a Cheshire cat grin.

"Yes. Now let's go find everyone else. I'm starting to get hungry, so I definitely know Sora is." Kairi pulled herself to her feet and held out a hand for Geni. She took it, looking at Kairi.

"Thanks Kairi," she said sincerely.

"Hey, what are girlfriends for?" she said, slipping her arm through hers and leading her towards the door. "Now let's go."

Geni allowed herself to be pulled through the hallways, waving and acknowledging other workers as they passed. However, she did allow her mind to wander through her memories a bit, unable to silence her traitorous thoughts of abandoning her friends and family to an extent, leaving them to the Donovan's cruel devices. _I have to get back there as soon as possible. It's my fault they're going through this when they shouldn't have to. I mean, it's bad enough losing the Queen and Lirona, but it shouldn't have been at my expense._ Geni blinked slowly, images of people she knew in chains, locked up in dank and dreary cells to wait for a punishment they didn't deserve. Of course, it was completely unrealistic – there hadn't been chains or dank and dreary cells in the highly sophisticated prisons for hundreds and hundreds of years; for that matter, there really weren't any prisons either – just small holding cells when someone was a little too drunk or angry. Geni knew better than to believe that the people she knew and loved would be tortured, but certain people she knew would be treated slightly worse than the rest.

"So what are you hungry for?"

"What?" Geni looked up at Kairi, blinking.

"What do you want for dinner?" Kairi asked again patiently. They had already walked quite a distance in silence and were almost at the gates to the estate where they were staying.

Geni shook her head. "You know what Kairi? I'm actually not that hungry. I just remembered that I have to go and check on something, so I'll be back a little later, okay?"

"Oh...okay," Kairi said, slightly surprised. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No – I'll be fine. Besides, most of the preparations we could help with are done now anyway, which means nothing except sitting around waiting for action. Why don't you go take a bath, or check out the library after dinner? You might not get a chance to for a while after this lull."

"You're probably right," Kairi answered her slowly. "Alright, but only if you're sure."

"I'm sure," Geni said firmly. She pushed her a little towards the estate. "I'm a big girl – I'll be back later."

"Alright, see you later then," Kairi said, walking alone up the rest of the hill towards the estate. She turned and waved to Geni, who waved back at her, still in the same spot where she left her. _What's up with her?_ she wondered.

Geni watched Kairi enter the gates, the guards on duty welcoming her. As soon as she disappeared, Geni did the same. She quickly walked down the main thoroughfare until she turned the corner at the bottom of the hill, and then made a sharp left. She passed the weapons and arms dealer, and immediately turned right into a long alleyway, cutting herself off from view of the street. She walked slowly, casting her magic behind her to make sure no one was following her. After a hundred feet or so, she glanced momentarily behind her. Not a single soul was following her, and she couldn't see anyone hanging out around the entrance to the alley either. _Good._ Suddenly, at an almost inhuman speed, she took off down the alley, twisting and turning in the paths behind houses and businesses, delving farther and deeper into the city. She followed the path she had left for herself those many years ago, heading towards the one place in the floating city where she could take perspective.

"Hey Kai-where's Geni?" Sora interrupted himself, seeing Kairi walk in without his sister.

"She said she had something to go and do, and that she would be back later," Kairi told him as she walked up to him. She had been directed to the large dining room they had all eaten in the night before. And, of course, everyone was now there except for Geni. Kairi looked to Vaan and Penelo, who were sitting at the head of the table watching her. "She'll be okay on her own, right? I mean, should I have stayed –?"

"No, you did absolutely fine," Penelo said quickly. "She'll come back when she's good and ready, and not before. Trust me, Bhujerba is a lot bigger than you think – it's like a small continent all connected with small pieces of land and many bridges. Why do you ask? Did she say something to you?"

"Well...no...not exactly," Kairi said slowly. "She said she had to check on something, but that she would be back later."

"Well, there you go then," Vaan said with a reassuring smile. "If she said she would be back, then she will."

"Okay," Kairi said, sitting down with a smile of her own but now wondering if she should have insisted on going with her.

Riku frowned, worrying. _Now where did she run off to?_ He didn't know the layout of the floating city as well as she did, so searching for her was out of the question. Riku didn't feel like waiting, but it seems like he had no other choice. _Where could she have gone off to this time?_

"Anyway, as I was telling the rest of the group," Vaan continued, slightly nonplussed by Kairi's sudden revelation, "we have the support of all of the southern clans and the traders, so if everything goes smoothly we'll be setting sail two days from now to the capital city. Once we know if the Viera will be joining us, of course," he added with a nod to Fran.

"They would be a great ally," Fran commented, "if they could see the forest through the trees."

"What does that mean?" Donald asked, biting into a roll.

"To see the big picture," Balthier clarified. "The Viera have only stayed in their forests since the day they were born, and will continue to do so until the day they die. Fran, here, being one of the great exceptions." He looked at his longtime partner. "Yes, quite unusual."

"Thank you for that interesting explanation," Fran said, quirking her eyebrow at him. "However, even so, we will still be outmatched. This is when careful planning is very convenient."

"Well, we know for the most part that the fleet of airships will be the largest distraction, making a big show of coming up to the city from the south. However, the smaller infiltration force into the city will be coming from around the north of the city, right?" Sora said. "That's our part in this mission."

"That's right," Vaan told him. "The four of us, the six of you, Geni, and a small group of our most elite fighters will be sneaking into the city just before the attack begins from the south and taking Donovan out right away. Also, another group will be infiltrating the Archives and libraries and sending out the information about Donovan's deception. The last group that will be separate from the main force will be heading to the prison facility to free everyone there. Now," Vaan said, pausing to look at them all, "I know this hasn't come up yet, but how competent are you all as fighters? I heard about the exhibition match from my subordinates between you two," he said, nodding at Riku, "but as far as the rest of you go, will you be able to help us defeat Donovan? Don't worry, your exploits involving Kingdom Hearts and Organization XIII we already know about. Donovan, however, is on another level completely – and so are his personal guards. These will be some of the most difficult battles you will face."

"We can take him on, no problem," Sora said, thumping his chest. "After all, we wouldn't be wielders of the Keyblade if we weren't."

"About that topic, by the way," King Mickey interrupted Sora. All eyes turned towards him. "I have not brought it up, but since our untimely departure from the capital city, we have not had the chance to carry out the mission we came to this Realm for; namely, finding out where the other Keyblade wielders had been coming from. I think it's about time we did receive some answers, though, since I know that you have been keeping the answers about it from us." He looked straight at Vaan. "Who are the wielders in this Realm, and where are they?" he practically demanded.

Vaan matched King Mickey's stare, before turning to look at Balthier and Fran sitting next to him. An unspoken conversation flitted between them, until Vaan nodded and turned back towards the group. "We have not been...entirely truthful with you, I agree," he began slowly. "Yes, you are correct – the wielders of the Keyblade from this Realm have been sent on missions outside of the Realm to assist the four of you with the Heartless and Nobody problem ever since it began to become a problem – which was a little over three years ago your time."

"Before I even opened the door on the island?" Riku asked softly.

"Yes, even before that," Vaan answered him. "Looking out over the universe, we noticed the slow but gradual rise of the darkness outside of our home and began to send envoys out to battle it. No more that one wielder was assigned to each world, and not one of them was to reveal their true nature. However, it did happen at times that one would become overwhelmed and succumb to the darkness, and a replacement sent to the world. I believe it was at one of these times that you discovered us, at least more recently," Vaan questioned King Mickey.

The little mouse nodded. "Yes. But why not come forward so we could work together? Why stay hidden?"

"Because the banished Realm should have stayed banished…and forgotten," Fran spoke softly.

"Banished?" Goofy said, confused.

"You know of the legend, of the great Keyblade War thousands of years ago?" she asked him. They all nodded. "We are what is left of the race of wielders. You see, it is not just the heart that chooses whether or not one will wield the blade, but the ancestors that first wielded them as well."

"I don't understand," King Mickey interrupted, "if that is true, then how do the four of us wield Keyblades? I cannot remember anyone in my lineage or any at the Disney Castle who could ever wield Keyblades. The only ones that are listed in the historical records were unknown as to their origins."

"Then that just proves it even more," Balthier told him. "If you don't know where the wielders came from, who's to say that they didn't come from here?"

"That's true," King Mickey conceded. "Still, then it is a mystery as to how Riku, Kairi, Sora, and I wield Keyblades."

"Not really – as you can see, although our Realm has been divided into a separate dimension from the rest of the universe, we can still traverse between the two – as you did when you first entered here. Only a few times have there been wielders who have chosen to leave the Realm and go back to the other side of the universe. However, if they so choose to...their life spans are shortened dramatically," Vaan told them.

"Shortened? How so?" Riku asked them, concerned.

"Most only live for another 5 years or so if they cut all ties to the Realm. However, if they come back, even after a year or two has gone by, they would be able to resume their old lives once more without too many difficulties. You see, because time here flows so much faster than the rest of the universe even though our bodies age at the same rate, it is the mind that becomes unstable...most people who are native to the Realm and leave it develop a kind of severe memory loss that eventual consumes them to the point that their bodies no longer know how to function. In essence, their bodies just shut down – they don't remember how to do anything anymore. Also, they don't really die…they just…disappear."

"How horrible," Kairi said in a fearful voice.

"That's why people don't leave this place. If they do, it is for periods no longer than 6 months outside of the Realm," Vaan finished.

"But what about Geni then?" Sora asked him. "She's been going back and forth between the Realm and the rest of our universe since she was little. Won't she have any side effects from it?"

"Your sister is a special case," Balthier said with a wave of his hand. "Since she originally came from outside of the Realm, there is no danger to her mind whatsoever."

"That's good," Sora sighed.

"She knew, though, didn't she?" Riku suddenly said.

Sora connected the dots as Riku spoke. "Geni knew about the wielders from this Realm," he confirmed with a nod.

"She did," Penelo admitted. "However, as I believe she told you before, she was under oath not to speak of anything concerning the Realm to you, correct?"

"She was – but what about after we first got here then? We would have known what to search for in the archives – she could have assisted us in finding out whom the four people the legend refers to, or at least pointed us in the right direction. If she knew, why didn't she say anything or help us?" Riku said with a frown. "I don't understand."

A polite knock suddenly interrupted the conversation as Vaan was about to speak. "Enter," he called. The far doors opened to reveal a nervous young man with short brown hair enter the room, his eyes darting back and forth. "What is it Kytes?"

Kytes walked hurriedly to Vaan's chair and leaned down to whisper something in his ear. Vaan nodded once and continued to listen. After a minute, he nodded again. "Alright – I expected this would happen soon after the meeting this afternoon. Where are they?"

"The skyegrounds, waiting in the amphitheater. The majority says they will not comply without proof."

Vaan sighed. He then leaned over to Kytes, beckoning him closer. Kytes leaned down, bending his ear. "And where is she?" Vaan asked in a quiet, low voice.

"Waiting for the rest," he responded in equal quiet.

"Ah, I see – then it seems like tonight is the night," he said in a louder voice.

"For what?" Sora asked him, his expression equally as confused as the rest of the outsiders. On the other hand, Penelo, Balthier, and Fran immediately stood.

"If that's the case, then we'll supply all of the backup we can. You knew this might happen though," he told Vaan knowingly.

"I did, but I was hoping that reputation alone would be enough." He stood with the others. "Please come with us to the skyegrounds. It appears as though our meeting with the clan heads this morning has brought disagreement among them. They seek proof of our cause."

"Proof?" King Mickey asked. "Proof of what, may I ask?"

"Proof that our mission and cause isn't in vain. Proof of merited lineage, you could say," he replied with a wink.

"Lineage? Whose?" Riku asked him as he stood up as well.

"You'll see – now let us hurry," Vaan answered him vaguely. He turned and walked back to the doors where Kytes was waiting for them. "Tell all of the guards and staff not on duty to report to the skyegrounds immediately. Oh, and have the main podium readied."

"Right away," Kytes told him, before turning around and dashing off down the hall.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked Penelo as the two of them walked out the door, the rest of the group either in front of them or behind them. Continuing down the long hallways, they made their way to the main doors to the estate.

"It sounds like there is a problem with the clan chiefs' decision this afternoon to assist our mission in taking out Donovan from trying to take over the capital and then the rest of the Realm."

"How bad is it?" Balthier asked his pupil and elected leader.

"Three quarters," Vaan sighed.

Balthier whistled. "It seems some serious persuasion is in order for this evening, it appears."

"Your oration skills will be tested twice this day," Fran said with a small smile.

"Lucky me," Vaan muttered.

"Is that a lot of people?" Sora asked Vaan. "Three quarters of what?"

"Three quarters of everyone who has arrived here and currently lives in Bhujerba, I'm assuming. This means several thousand people at least."

Sora and Riku gave each other a look. "So how will you convince them?" Sora asked cautiously.

"Oh, that won't be my job – at least for the most part," Vaan said with a laugh. "I'm just the pre-show entertainment."

"Someone else is to be the main course tonight," Balthier joked.

Fran gave her partner a pointed look, and for a Viera, it was downright scary. "Balthier."

The handsome man smiled weakly. "Yes, you're right my dear Fran. We'll give them the old one-two and be out in time for moon rise."

"_We'll_?" she replied, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"Ah, hah, I mean…Vaan my boy, it looks like our escort has arrived. Let's get this shindig started," Balthier rushed forward as they exited from the main house of the marquis' estate, seeing a large yellow bird waiting for them with a carriage tied behind it.

Sora couldn't help but snicker. Kairi jabbed him in the ribs, making him gasp in protest. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Boys," she sighed, walking to once again join up with Fran and Penelo.

Riku sighed as well, whacking his best friend on the backside of his head.

"What?!" Sora exclaimed.

"You haven't had much practice with tact, have you, a-hyuk?" Goofy asked with a laugh.

Sora looked around at his friends. "What's tact?"

They all looked at Sora. "Sora, remind me when we get back that for your birthday this year you're getting a dictionary and thesaurus," Riku told him.

"I am not stupid!" he protested.

"No, but when it comes to the ladies, you certainly could use some lessons," Donald said, patting him on his back. "Now hurry up."

Sora complained at them as they all got into the small but roofless carriage. It was long enough that the ten of them could sit comfortably, but the night air was slightly chilly due to the altitude at which Bhujerba floated. The sky was a deep midnight blue, with the last fading streaks of red disappearing over the horizon. A few stars were out in the opposite direction, showing a clear and cloudless night awaited them.

As they proceeded, they began to see scores of people lining the streets, each heading in the same direction as they. Young men and women, older men and women bent with age, toddlers, babies cradled in their parent's arms. It appeared that whatever was going on was indeed extremely important, for every non-working citizen in Bhujerba was currently hastening towards the skyegrounds.

"Look at all the people," Kairi told Sora quietly.

Sora nodded. "I wonder what's going to happen." Blinking, he suddenly sat up. "Geni still hasn't come back – is she going to be there?"

"Oh, she'll be there alright," Balthier told him from a few seats down. "Knowing her she'll probably be waiting for us already."

"Hopefully she hasn't done anything already," Vaan muttered under his breath, out of earshot of the others.

"Doubtful," Penelo answered him quietly. "She knows that Bhujerba is the last chance she has, besides the Viera. The lands of the Bangaa and the Seeq are too far away to ask for help now – if that was the case, we should have called upon them weeks ago."

"As it is, I'm still highly doubtful that the Viera will come. We plan on doing this ourselves, and we'll be better off in the long run – even if our numbers are small."

"You have to stay positive – everything will work out for the best in the end," Penelo told him, laying her head upon his upper arm. "It did 40 years ago and it will this time too."

"Yes, but Lirona isn't around this time," Vaan told her in the softest whisper he could.

Penelo was silent. Vaan was right, of course, but that didn't mean she had to acknowledge it out loud. Instead she brought up her hand and entwined her fingers within his. Vaan squeezed back, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down girl!"

The carriage suddenly jerked to a sudden (well, almost sudden) stop. Everyone was rudely brought out of their personal musings or conversations and back into reality, where they suddenly realized that they could go not further down the street. Hundreds of people were crammed together, making their way through the decently sized cobbled road. The sound of voices all around them was not deafening, but they could distinctly hear the shouting of an enormous crowd not too far ahead of them.

"Sorry sir! She won't go any farther!" the driver called back to Vaan. "She's just too big to fit through without anybody hurting her or her hurting them."

"That's fine then – we'll just take the roundabout route to get there," Vaan said as he stood. Turning, he said, "It looks like our ride stops here. Please, follow me – we will use the back entrance to the skyegrounds from here." Vaan stepped across the wooden floor and opened the small hatch that served as a door. Hopping down, he held out a hand for Penelo and helped her hop down the few steps. Fran and Balthier came next, followed by Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and last of all King Mickey. The poor mouse king was so tiny compared to the rest of the humans gathered around him that he all but disappeared once exiting from the carriage.

"This way!" Vaan called to them, pointing down a narrow side alley a few yards away from them. As the group made their way through the river of people, the shouting began to grow even louder. A few snippets of "We want proof!", "White and no other!", and "Crown or no crown, we'll know it when we see it!" were heard.

Riku wondered at what exactly the people of Bhujerba were demanding as he came stumbling out of the mass just behind Goofy. None of their demands made any sense, but the shout about the crown made him wonder. _I wonder if they're talking about Geni…I hope she's alright, too. Hopefully she's staying out of this mess._

"Ah! Here we are!" Vaan said, looking over each of them. "Not losing anything or anyone, are we?"

Just then, King Mickey made his way out from between the legs of two large men, tumbling head over heels. Sora caught him and helped him to stand. "You okay King Mickey?"

"Whelp, I could use a pair of stilts next time," he joked while brushing the dirt off of his red pants.

"I do apologize, your majesty – we were not expecting anything like this to happen. At least, this quickly," Vaan said apologetically.

"It's okay – it's good to bring me out of my comfort zone of Disney Castle once in a while," he added with a laugh.

Vaan smiled. "Good – then let us hurry. We should get this situation resolved as quickly as possible." He then turned around and headed down the alley.

Following behind him quickly, the group walked down the alley and turned left once which brought them to a nondescript looking wooden door. The only change was the burly guard standing watch just outside of it.

"Vaan," the man greeted in a deep voice.

"Reddas. How goes everything?" Vaan replied.

"Not good I'm afraid, not good," the man named Reddas told him as he held the door open behind him so the group could enter. "More people continue to arrive every minute."

"Ah, I see," Vaan said. Upon walking in the door, the group was greeted with a narrow hallway occasionally lit with candles in sconces above their heads. Reddas began to walk down the hallway, Vaan next to him. "Is everything prepared?"

Reddas nodded. "Any guards that could be spared have lined the entrances and walkways throughout the amphitheater, and all other staff that was not on duty has entered random points all over as well. The largest lights have been lit, to allow everyone to see, but we will dim those and face the rest towards the podium once you begin. Hopefully we won't have any problems," Reddas told them, but didn't sound like he believed himself on his last point.

"Good work." Reddas turned a corner to the right in the hallway, which immediately opened up into a large, almost empty room. A bright crystal chandelier hung high above them, illuminating the few pieces of furniture still within: a round table in the center of the room, a small table with a large mirror attached, and a small seating area with a loveseat and a few chairs, all padded but simply designed. There was a shorter person standing in front of the mirror, staring fervently at their reflection within it, searching for an answer.

"As you can see, her ladyship has already arrived," Reddas said, bowing slightly as he stepped aside for the rest to follow in behind Vaan.

"Geni!" Sora shouted happily, running towards his twin.

She turned around, smiling at him. "Sora," she said, opening her arms to receive the large hug from him. "Sorry I missed dinner," she told him right away.

"Eh, no big deal," he grinned back at her. "Kairi was worried though."

Speaking of whom, she had walked up behind Sora. "Yes, because it's not often that you leave in the middle of a conversation to run off to who knows where," she scolded her.

Geni looked down at the floor. "Sorry, I just had to…check up on a few things."

"Change your perspective?" Fran asked the girl half her height, smiling a knowing smile. She had walked over to join the three humans while the rest looked on in amusement as usual.

"Yeah, something like that," she replied.

Someone coughed politely from behind them. Turning, they saw Vaan smiling. "Well, now that everyone's here, I believe it's time to get started." He looked at Geni critically. "Is that all?"

Geni blushed, looking at the ground. "I didn't think I should…you know, wear them, when most of Bhujerba has been against the Royals for as long as I could remember."

"Nonsense. Reddas?"

"Already brought them," the burly sky pirate said as he let Kytes in with two wooden boxes, one a large cube and the other a thin rectangle. He brought them over and set them carefully on the table by the mirror, placing the top box next to the other on the solid surface. As soon as he finished, he walked back to stand by the door they had entered by.

"Finish getting ready – Penelo and Kairi will help you. I have to go and introduce you now, so you only have 5 minutes." Vaan nodded to her and then strode towards the other side of the room where another door was located. Opening it, the sudden inrush of voices overwhelmed the silence before it was quiet once more with a _click_ of the door.

"Well let's hurry up – we can't have our princess turning into a pauper, now can we?" Penelo told her with a wink. "Have a seat."

"What's wrong with how I look?" Geni muttered to herself as she sat down in a chair that Reddas had just brought over.

"You just don't want to be the center of attention," Penelo accused her, poking her in the arm as she reached over to open the boxes.

"What are we doing anyway?" Kairi asked Penelo.

"Turning her into a real princess, of course," she told her with a wink. "You boys turn around now – no peeking."

"Why?" Sora asked.

"Because I said so, that's why!" Penelo retorted, stomping her foot at them as she spun around. "Now, turn around!"

The seven gentlemen in the room suddenly all turned and faced the far wall at once. Three of them knew of Penelo's wrath, and would not cause it on anyone. The others just decided to go along with her for better of not knowing what was going on.

"So…what's Geni going to be doing?" Sora asked the man named Reddas.

"Why, she'll be addressing the Bhujerbans and the gathered sky pirates, of course," he told him in a surprised voice. "She is the Crown Princess, of course – no matter what, the Royals rule the Realm…no matter how far away we may live and work from the capital."

"Well, I still don't get it," Goofy said, looking down the row. "What does Geni being the princess here have to do with the sky pirates and traders and other people helping you?"

"They will only follow the true heir to the throne, one that's birthright is shown in triple."

"Triple? What three things does she have to have?" King Mickey asked, surprised at the amount of requirements.

"Well, first of all, she must prove that she is the true Crown Princess. Besides the crown and jewels she is putting on now, it is also a display of power. That means she is the princess of the land, of the earth. The second is that she must prove that she is a true sky pirate and a princess of the sky – this is what the Bhujerbans have come seeking. And the third is her relation to every single person in the Realm – the proof that she is indeed truly worthy of ruling the people of the –"

"All finished!" Penelo suddenly shouted. "You guys can turn around now!"

"Finally. So what is –" Sora stopped midsentence.

"Well, how do I look?" his twin asked him.

Geni was still wearing the traditional uniform of those within the capital, the puffy tan pants and her asymmetrical top that went only over one shoulder to hide her scar, the blue sash around her waist denoting she was a student of the Music Branch of the Academia, and her brown sandals. However, to now add to it, she was wearing a delicate silver crown wrought of silver filigree leaves and vines, with small violet stones set throughout like petals. A matching armlet was placed on her arm instead of her usual plain silver armlets, and a matching signet ring around her left ring finger. Around her throat she wore a black and white pendant…Lirona's. And lastly sitting naturally upon the holster at her waist was her faithful black staff with the runic markings at each end. Penelo had done up her hair so that her braid was curled around the back of her head like a blossoming flower, and the spikes in the front carefully arranged away from her face to show off her deep ocean blue eyes and the silver crown upon her forehead.

She blinked once at the group. "It's that bad, isn't it? Penelo, take some of these off me –"

"No, no," Sora suddenly said, finding his voice, "No, you look really nice. It's just that…you really look like a princess now."

Geni blushed, staring down at her feet. "Really?"

"One hundred percent." King Mickey strode towards his foster daughter and brought her flushed face upwards with his hand. "You were always our little princess, remember? This just makes it a little more…official," he told her with a gentle smile, his large round ears moving up and down slightly.

"Thanks," she told him shyly.

Riku stared openly as he suddenly noticed the transformation from slightly awkward teenager, to graceful but maybe not as confident Crown Princess in his girlfriend.

"You're drooling, my boy," a voice said from next to him. Riku immediately clamped his mouth shut and shot Balthier a glare. "Just didn't want you making a mess of the floor," he said quietly back to him with a note of humor in his voice.

From behind them, the door suddenly swung open to hear a mixture of cheering and booing. Vaan came walking in confidently, but as soon as the door was closed he slumped in his step and sighed tenaciously.

Geni stood up from the chair and quickly walked over to him. "How bad is it?" she asked him quietly.

"Let's just say that your skills of persuasion had better be a lot better than mine," he told her unhappily. "All they want is you out there. Watch out for the lot left of the podium, though – they've quite the throwing arms."

Geni wrinkled her nose in distaste. "What…might I ask?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about – just some day old legumes."

"Wonderful," she sighed.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine. And we'll be right behind you – all of us," Vaan said, his eyes sweeping back behind her to the rest of the group.

"Of course we will," Penelo immediately reassured her. "Nothing to worry about."

"It's not the speaking I'm worried about," she said to them under her breath, her eyes darting behind her.

"Yeah! We'll be like your honor guard or something," Sora chimed in almost immediately, excited.

Geni laughed. "Well, I suppose we'll see. Should we go now?" she asked Vaan.

He nodded. "Yes, before they get too unruly – I still have somewhat of a reputation to uphold. After you, your highness," he said with a mock bow, grinning.

Geni sighed and shook her head, walking past him to the door. Sora ran immediately up behind her, followed by King Mickey, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Penelo, and Vaan. Kytes stayed in his position near the door, and Reddas occupied the door closest to the outside.

Riku was about to follow his friends, albeit a little wary of the situation that was going on. Yes, he now knew that Geni was an important person in this world, and possibly the only one who could save it, but he still felt like there were a few pieces of the puzzle yet missing. Suddenly, a clawed hand descended upon his shoulder, holding him back. He looked up, not as far as the others, but up enough to see Fran looking at him with her dark eyes.

"Do not do anything foolish, young hume," she told him in her quiet voice.

Riku looked at her strangely. "What –?"

"You are interconnected in all of this in a way I as of yet cannot comprehend beyond the fact that they two of you share a deep bond. So, I say again…do not do anything foolish now or later."

"I would never –" Riku began, affronted.

"I am not saying anything," she assuaged him, shaking her head. "It only comes to me now and again. The only thing I see now is a darkness blinding my vision."

"The darkness?"

"Yet…not an all encompassing darkness. This darkness is not yet evil," she spoke in a soft tone, looking straight into his eyes yet curiously past him. After a moment or two, Fran shook her head. "Forgive me…the magicks sometimes overpower my vision. Shall we go?"

"Uh-huh," Riku mumbled, unable to form a complete sentence. Fran steered him towards the other door where Vaan had just exited from.

To Riku it had felt like their conversation had lasted hours rather than just mere seconds. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he thought upon the Viera's words. He did not have long to ponder them as he found himself standing next to King Mickey, and looking out into the faces of thousands of Bhujerbans and people from the southern region of the Realm.

They were currently standing on a raised platform surrounded by raised seats going for hundreds of feet in each direction. They were filled to the brim with people, as well as the guards who surrounded the platform on which they were standing. Bright lights lit the amphitheatre and fought back the dark night sky, but after they had come out from the door they had begun to swivel and point at the stage – a nonverbal declaration to the people there that something was about to happen.

Vaan stood in front of Geni, with Balthier and Fran on either side of her to prevent anyone from seeing her just yet. As if by magic, Vaan's voice was suddenly amplified throughout the amphitheatre. Immediately the people hushed, waiting for their answer. "I have done my best as your leader to prevent war and strife from penetrating beyond the Beast's Rest, but as you know it appears that war is again once more upon our horizon. However, you do not wish for me, your elected leader, to lead the charge into this battle. You have requested this young girl, not even yet out of schooling, to do so for you. Tell me Bhujerbans, tell me sky pirates, tell me those who are still free: do you still wish for proof? Do you still not believe or trust that what I say and do is in all of our best interests? To preserve our life and lifestyle for thousands of years to come?" Vaan stopped…and waited.

A pin drop could have been heard throughout, until a young male voice from somewhere in the thick of it all could be heard. "If she's the true heir, have her prove it!"

Another took up the cry. "If she's truly against the capital, let her show it!"

"Prove to us, princess of the earth and of the sky…have you earned the right to lead us?"

The shouting once again resumed, more violent and zealous than ever before.

"Vaan." It was not a statement, but a simple command.

Immediately Vaan moved forward and to the side, bowing in respect. The crowds immediately hushed as the young spiky haired princess stepped forward, catching all in her piercing gaze.

Fran, Balthier, and Vaan immediately stepped backwards to wait with the rest of the group in a semi-line at the back of the large podium. "Here goes nothing," Vaan whispered to Penelo.

"She can do it," she reassured him just as softly.

Geni waited a few moments, her eyes gazing into the distance around her, looking at all of the people gathered yet none of them at the same time. Taking a deep breath, she begun the speech she had rehearsed to herself earlier.

"I am Genevieve Akeno of Destiny Islands.

I am Genevieve Keilanyi Astraea of Radiant Garden.

I am Lady Genevieve of Disney Castle.

I am Crown Princess Genevieve of the Realm.

And lastly, I am Genevieve Faerfaen of Bhujerba, named so by your leader, Vaan. I have answered your summons this night for the want of proof of my true lineage and right to claim what you call my own. You also wish for the proof of a reason of why you should assist the Bhujerbans in fighting against the capital, against the Royals. I understand your trepidation, being a Royal myself, the same people you are being asked to attack.

Many of you wish to know why I would be fighting against my own people. I am a part of the people of the capital just as much as I am a part of the people of Bhujerba. However, since the murders of Queen Hisako and Madame Lirona, the royal line is beginning to be smothered by the darkness and evil known as Donovan. He is the true evil – he is the one who murdered the queen and Lirona."

Geni allowed a moment or two to allow this information to sink in. At once there were heated whispers from all corners of the amphitheatre; the information she had just given them had only been assumed rumors to most of them until then. Clearing her throat, she continued.

"I owe my life to her majesty, to Lirona, to the people of the capital, and just as much if not more to the people of Bhujerba. So this night, I will give you triple proof of my lineage and inheritance as one of the Realm's true rulers. This –" Geni said, taking off her crown and holding it up in the air, "is just a ring of silver." She tossed it across the podium like a frisbee, landing it close enough to the edge that the people just below her could see it and touch it if they wanted to. She took off the armband and did likewise. "Those trinkets are supposed proof of my power in the capital, proof that I am a princess down on the land. Now I give you proof of my lineage of the air, of the inheritance I have received from the sky pirates." Geni closed her eyes and concentrated, lying her arms at her sides and standing perfectly still with her face tilted up towards the sky – performing spells without hand gestures or words was the most difficult type of magic there was, and one of the only ways to prove herself further. Her body began glowing a soft white, a shimmer of magic surrounding her from behind. A pressure was felt by those closest to her, something akin to the pressure a slight headache would cause.

The pressure suddenly exploded all at once into the area around Geni, along with a brief flash of light. She stood there, her face turned towards the sky, her eyes closed, as a pair of luminescent white wings protruded from her back and spanned the length of the podium behind her as she stretched them wide. Her eyes snapped open and she looked out at the people. "I am Genevieve of Bhujerba, known as White Wings!" she shouted to them, her massive wings rippling with the power in her voice.

A sudden roar filled the stadium at her display, leaving her friends and family in shock and confusion, to say the least. "What's going on?" Sora asked Vaan, staring in amazement at the sudden change in the crowd's behavior.

"This is proof of her lineage of being a sky pirate," he explained as best he could due to the noise, even though Sora was right next to him now. "You see, this bit of magic is what makes a sky pirate a sky pirate. It is difficult to perform, yet it separates us from the capital in a very important way: not everyone can execute this spell, and if they can, only then can they be called a Sky Pirate. From there, one cannot control the shape or form their wings will take, which means each person's wings are different from everyone else's."

"So what do Geni's wings have to do with anything?" Sora asked loudly.

"They're white."

"…what? That's it? Her wings are white?"

Vaan grinned. "That's all. However, pure white wings without any other color whatsoever is the rarest of all. Only one person every several generations or so is born with white wings. Every sky pirate in the past who has ever had white wings has gone on to become a great figure in history, and hero…or heroine."

Sora shook his head, smiling. "So that is why she's also a princess of the sky like they said."

"Exactly," Vaan replied.

On an unmistakable cue for silence, Geni began to lower her wings slowly, bending them behind her as she did so. The crowd quieted, but the heavy atmosphere of distrust and doubt had lifted, leaving a very positive feeling behind in its wake. Geni looked out to the people of Bhujerba and the southern regions, her people. She felt her friends behind her, her family. _Here it comes_, she thought to herself. _The last requirement._

Fran's ears twitched nervously, a habit only her longtime partner would ever notice. "Nervous Fran?" he whispered to her.

Fran looked at Balthier through her white bangs. "Not for her – for them," she said, looking down the row at their guests.

"They'll understand," he told her, and in one of his few public gestures of affection, he took the Viera's clawed hand and rubbed his thumb over it lovingly. Fran squeezed back ever so slightly, but never let go.

Taking a deep breath, Geni began to speak for the last time. "I have shown you proof of the land, proof of the air…now I must give you proof of the heart."

"Proof of the heart?" several voices echoed behind her.

"What does she mean?" Riku asked King Mickey.

"Whelp, I'm not sure…" the tiny mouse king replied. "Is she going to show them that she has a full heart now?"

"Be quiet and watch," Penelo commanded them in a stern tone of voice implying no nonsense.

"Penelo, what –?" Riku began, until he got a cold look from her and shut up.

Geni brought her hands up and placed them gently over her heart. She thought of the love her friends and family from many different worlds had given her, of the friends she had made, of the friends she had left behind, and of all of the people counting on her. She began to feel a resonation within herself, feeling it multiplied with the thousands around her.

Sora suddenly stiffened. He felt as if someone was calling him, calling to something inside of him. For some reason unbeknownst to himself, he began to raise his right hand and stretched it out in front of him. He immediately summoned Oathkeeper to his hand. He blinked, not even realizing he had summoned it. "What the –? Hey, guys –" he started to say, but as he turned he realized that Riku, Kairi, and King Mickey had summoned their Keyblades as well and were looking just as confused as he did.

"Sora? What's going on?" Kairi asked him. "Why –" she started but gasped in astonishment. "Look!" she said, pointing to all of the people in the amphitheatre.

Thousands of people were raising their hands to the sky, the men and women, the young and the old. Flashes of light danced across their vision as each and every person assembled there suddenly began to hold a Keyblade of their own. No two were alike – not the color, the shape, the length, the width, or the style.

"What?" Sora gasped. He turned to ask Vaan, Balthier, Penelo, or Fran what was going on but to his even bigger bewilderment they were each holding Keyblades of their own as well. "Keyblades?!"

"Yes, Keyblades," Fran finally replied, swinging hers down. It was of a soft brown metal, with pale green leaves and bright red flowers decorating the hilt and teeth. It looked exotic and foreign, yet fearsome and almost poisonous to the touch. "This is why we could not explain everything to you immediately," she said in an apologetic tone, dipping her head towards them. "However, there is yet more," she said, turning her head back to the front.

The ten of them turned their gaze to the podium, where Geni had just brought her hands to her sides. The air was still…not one person moved or breathed. Only with the slightest hesitation did she reach for her trusty black staff at her side. Pulling it out, she whipped it to its full length of a good seven feet or so. Holding it out in front of her, she studied the thousands of Keyblade warriors in front of her and those she knew were behind her. Closing her eyes, she willed her staff into its true form.

Riku watched, an odd stomach-churning feeling clenching his gut. The strange thing was is that he was starting to feel compelled to go be with Geni in the spotlight for some reason. He began to take a step forward but immediately felt a hand grab his arm to keep him back. "Not yet," a soft voice whispered harshly in his ear. "You promised me hume." Fran uncurled her claws from his arm, having appeared behind him in a blink of an eye. "Now watch."

Riku saw Geni close her eyes and felt a change come over her. Her forehead ceased its furrowing and she appeared calm and relaxed. As she held out her staff, a sudden dark purple-black energy began to surround it, swirling in infinite patterns. For a moment, the collection of energy grew, until it shrank back into the metal of the object in her hand.

Opening her eyes, Geni tossed it up slowly to catch it by its curved hilt. Raising it into the air it sparkled with an unknown power under the lights of the amphitheatre. She shouted, "I give you the true form of my Keyblade…Songuraita – Song of Mourning!"


	32. One For Another

Chapter 31

Sora's jaw literally and figuratively hit the floor. In Geni's right hand was the form of a Keyblade…its black hilt gleaming as it was engulfed by some kind of purple vine which was wrapped from the hilt to the teeth. The hilt itself was a curved feather on each side, the tips rounding off to the very bottom where they connected at the base of the pommel. Each feather was of course black like the rest of the Keyblade, except for shimmering touches of blue and purple on the tips. The shaft was the same shining, hematite black of her staff, with the same runes etched into it as well; the only difference was the vine of purple winding about it. The teeth of the Keyblade were extremely pointy, with only a slightly flat surface at the very top of it. Her Keyblade was also slightly longer than most, probably due to the fact it was based upon the design of a staff rather than the actual Keyblade that he knew of.

Even so, once Geni had raised her Keyblade to the people, all at once they began shouting their support, raising their voices in her defense against the capital. Slowly lowering her arm and Keyblade, she raised it out horizontally in front of her. In a loud voice, somehow amplified to everyone assembled there, she spoke: "I swear on this Keyblade, Songuraita, as well as my life that I will bring down Donovan if it is the last thing I do and restore the Realm once more to its former glory!"

Shouts and yells greeted this promise, each swearing support in their own way. Dipping her head in a small bow of acknowledgement, Geni turned around and strode back through the group without diminishing her Keyblade, and without catching anyone's eye. The door seemingly opened of its own accord, as Reddas opened it from the inside. Geni stepped through and only stopped once she was completely inside of the preparatory chambers and waiting with her back turned to her friends and family. She, of course, had just revealed the last of her secrets to them, and she knew one thing: even Sora could have guessed what it meant.

He was the first to do so. Walking up from behind her, he stated his question bluntly. "You have a Keyblade…the other Keyblade of darkness, don't you?"

Without turning around, Geni nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us before now?" King Mickey asked her, coming to stand on Sora's left. He was thinking back to their conversation just before the six of them left for the dimensional gateway to the Realm. "Have you always had one?"

"Ever since I was three."

"You know what this means then…about the legend?"

She nodded.

"We never had to search across the universe for the four bearers, did we? It was you four all along."

Geni nodded again, the grip on her Keyblade tightening.

"You and I are the wielders of the Keyblades of darkness," Riku said slowly, now standing on Sora's right. The rest of them had entered the chamber and were standing back a ways except for Kairi, who squeezed in next to Sora and was listening to their conversation. Donald and Goofy stood behind the rest, Goofy wringing his hands anxiously. It was a conversation amongst Keyblade wielders, even though they were their closest friends and family. Other than that, a pin could have been heard dropping in the silence that ensued. "Kairi and Sora are the wielders of the Keyblades of light then."

"Yes."

Riku felt his stomach clench up, becoming nauseous. "Then the wielder of the Keyblade of darkness…the one that is supposed to envelope the universe in darkness and destroy it…is either you or I?"

Geni was silent this time, not trusting her voice enough to answer him.

However, she didn't have to. "Well, now we know," King Mickey said, anger suddenly becoming evident in his voice. "We were on a wild goose chase for nothing after all." He suddenly exploded at Geni, his uncharacteristic outburst startling everyone there. "Why don't you tell us?! You have all these secrets, keeping the most important information that we could use to save the universe, to yourself! You _never_ think of any of us – it's just rules, rules, rules, all the time from those pompous _morons_ back at the capital! You follow what they say without even thinking that maybe they _aren't_ right for once! The queen and Lirona had you wrapped around their little fingers, playing you like a _puppet_! Could you at least tell us if it's you or Riku whose got the power to unleash the darkness, or don't you want to tell us that either?! Why don't we all just sit around and wait for the end of everything to fall into our laps!!!" he finished with a hoarse shout.

"King Mickey!" more than one person gasped out once he was done, afraid to say more than that.

The small mouse king stood there, heaving, his fists in balls at his side. He stared up at his foster daughter's back with smoldering eyes. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

Geni stood there, her back to her family and friends. She had listened to King Mickey's tirade, knowing full well that she deserved every word of it. Her shoulders had slowly sagged down, her fingers barely having a grip on Songuraita.

Vaan, Penelo, Fran, Balthier, and Reddas stayed where they were behind them, while Kytes kept his vigilance at the other door. They had no part in the argument that was unfolding before them, although would have liked to come to their dear friend's defense since she wasn't defending herself. Each of them had known Geni since she had arrived with Lirona years ago in Bhujerba, bringing needed medicine and the help they required to overthrow the almost dictator-like ruler of the Marquis. The little girl with spiky brown hair and deep ocean blue eyes had startled them at first, having so much power in one so young; they knew that she was immediately destined for something greater. That is when they taught Geni the spell to give her wings, which she mastered in less than one day – the record had been at four days until she had arrived. The bigger surprise coming was when she was found to have white wings, which confirmed their initial suspicions. A Keyblade of darkness, yet pure white wings…what future was awaiting this girl?

As the silence progressed, neither side gaining ground on the other, Vaan decided to step in. Sighing he walked forward and stepped in between Geni and her family. "That's enough for tonight, I believe," he told them sternly, looking down especially at King Mickey. "We still have much to do and little time to do it in, so I suggest you all turn in for the night. Maybe a good night's sleep will put things in better perspective tomorrow, I believe. Kytes, Reddas, please escort them back to the carriage and have them taken back to the estate."

"Of course," Reddas answered immediately, stepping forward. "This way please," he said, extending his arm towards the door Kytes was holding open. King Mickey stomped forward childishly, not bothering to look back at the damage he had incurred. Sora, Kairi, and Riku took several slow steps forward until they realized that Geni was not going to say anything more or even look at them. Kairi grabbed Sora's hand and gently pulled him away, mumbling a soft "We'll see you later" at Geni. Riku stepped forward and gently touched Geni's shoulder; she immediately flinched away from his touch and folded in on herself even more. Riku looked away, biting his lip, as he walked towards Kytes and out the door, Goofy and Donald immediately behind him. Reddas bowed once to her before he and Kytes disappeared out the door as well.

As soon as it clicked shut, Geni's Keyblade disappeared and she dropped to her knees, her palms smacking harshly against the stone. "I shouldn't have showed them!" she whispered to herself harshly, pounding her fists against the ground. "I should never have brought them here. I should have tossed them through a portal and sent them home the first chance I could!" She squeezed her eyes shut, as if to forget the moment just past. She immediately grabbed a hold of the violet stoned arm ring and yanked it off of her arm, doing the same with Lirona's pendant and throwing them across the room. "I hate this..." she whispered to the floor.

"Geni," Penelo said, bending down next to her. "You didn't know they would have reacted that way," she said in a soothing voice. _Especially King Mickey_, she thought. _Why him?_

"You did what was right and necessary to what the time dictated," Balthier added, coming to stand behind them. "You shouldn't be ashamed of who you truly are."

"But who I am _is_ a monster," she barked hoarsely. "A creature of darkness, ready to swallow the universe at the first chance I got."

"You do not know that as of yet," Fran said softly. "We cannot tell which of you holds which power yet, besides that Sora and Kairi wield the light and Riku and yourself wield the darkness. Do not forget, the darkness is not a terrible thing – only terrible when those who allow the darkness to consume them try and control it."

"It doesn't matter," she told her. "I've ruined things permanently now – I would be surprised if they weren't getting ready to leave as we speak." Her fingers scraped across the floor as her hands formed two fists. "I really have betrayed them, haven't I?" she asked herself and no one in particular at the same time. "I've brought the legend to fruition all on my own."

"Then give up already."

Geni looked up, seeing a pair of black boots in front of her. Looking up even more so, she saw Vaan standing with his arms crossed, scowling. "What?" she asked him, as if she hadn't heard the statement.

"Give up already. If you're the one supposed to bring eternal darkness to the universe you might as well give up now, since there's no avoiding it, right? We'll just let Donovan win and wait for our imminent deaths."

"No…I mean, that isn't…" Geni began, unsure.

Suddenly Vaan swooped down and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, holding her up by her shirt in front of him. He was surprisingly strong even though he looked thin and weak. Geni's legs dangled several feet off of the ground as he held her up and stared at her with an angry gaze.

"Vaan!" Penelo said in astonishment, quickly standing up.

"No! I want to hear it out of her own mouth. We've stood up for you time and again, and this is how you repay us? We kept your back because we thought you were the one who was going to fix this mess that the Realm has gotten itself into. We believed in you, even knowing that you might bring the darkness of legends with you. Hell, so many people turned the other cheek just for you, just so they could put a glimmer of hope in their lives. You were supposed to be the Royal that was just like everyone else…a commoner. So why are you moping and saying 'oh, poor me, just because my old family and friends found out about my secret life, it's over!' So if you're going to give up then go and tell everyone out there that your whole 'I'll save the Realm' speech was a load of Chocobo dung." He let go of Geni's shirt and let her drop to the floor, after shaking her several times for emphasis during his monologue. Without another word he turned around and began walking towards the same door that the others had moments ago.

Geni sat on the floor, stunned into silence. _Pitiful..._a small voice said inside of her head.

Fran watched her young hume friend, sitting there limply. Something strange was happening to her, but she was unsure at the moment of what exactly. It was almost as if she could feel two presences within her.

Geni blinked several times. _Do you really need their permission to be who you truly are? When you decided that you wanted to stay here, you did that of your own free will. Not Queen Minnie's, not Lirona's, not Hisako's. When you decided to follow after them to The World That Never Was, to foil Xemnas' plans for universal domination, did you need their permission? When you fought for Riku against Leblanc in the Blitzball match you almost died, yet you never stopped once to see if Riku would be alright with it or not. You are your own person, aren't you? You are no longer a puppet. You don't have strings. You are an independent being of your own free will and volition. So quit acting like a spoilt child and act like the ruler you're supposed to be! Now stand up!!_

Unknowingly her feet and hands scraped against the floor as she stood, her hands curling into fists, her eyes gazing unseeing into the floor. _Tell him!_ the voice commanded her relentlessly. _Show him you mean business!_

Geni snapped her head up at the involuntary command to her body. "Vaan," she ground out.

Vaan smirked, turning around. He had just been about to leave when he heard his name being called. "What? You have something to say to me?"

"It wasn't a load of Chocobo dung," she said evenly to him, staring intensely into his eyes.

Vaan looked at her, planning some kind of retort, his mouth opening for the words, and found them dying on his tongue. It wasn't the intensity of the look he was receiving, it was the fact that she looked like a different person altogether. Her eyes were still the same shade of ocean blue, her brown hair still spiky, her vertical impairment still quite obvious, but her presence and general feeling about her was utterly changed …the person who stood staring at him almost seemed as if she would have no qualms leveling the city around her into dust.

Fran felt the oddly familiar feeling of duality coming from the young hume as she sat on the floor. It suddenly intensified when she stood up and fixed her gaze on Vaan, holding him in her stare. As she did, Fran felt a disquieting power begin to emanate from her. In less than one stride she had her left arm pulling Geni back and her right forearm covering her eyes tightly. "Balthier," she barked out in an unnaturally harsh tone.

"Already on it," he said rushing to Vaan's side at the same time Penelo did. Vaan had currently sunk to his knees, his eyes blank. "Vaan. Vaan, snap out of it," Balthier told him as he gently shook his shoulders.

"Vaan, wake up," Penelo pleaded him, looking between him and Geni who was motionless in Fran's arms. "Fran, what's going on?"

"Her other self began to take control," Fran told her, feeling the power finally receding. Geni began to loosen in Fran's tight grip, but she continued to hold onto her just in case.

At this same moment Vaan blinked, looking at them. "What happened?" he asked them, looking around. He looked at Fran, surprise coming over his blank expression. "What happened to Geni?" he said, standing up a bit shakily.

Penelo assisted Vaan, steadying him as he rose to his feet. "Fran said something about another personality," she began to tell him. She looked at Fran. "I don't understand. What exactly happened?"

"She told us that she and her Nobody, Cirèna, had merged together, correct?" Fran stated. "I believe whatever was left of that girl's consciousness briefly rose to the surface." She looked down, her arm still covering the girl's eyes. "I do not know why, though – her brother and the girl Kairi both had their Nobodies returned to them and I have not seen any effects such as this on them."

"What if –" Balthier began, before Geni began to speak.

"Fran?" she whispered groggily, as if she had been sleeping. "Why are you covering my eyes Fran?" she said, reaching up to place her fingers on the Viera's arm.

Fran quickly lowered her arm and let the girl go. Geni swayed unsteadily, and the Viera steadied her, kneeling down to look at her straight in the eyes. She placed her hands on either side of her face, her red eyes staring into blue. "How do you feel?" Fran asked her cautiously.

Geni blinked a few times before answering. "Fine. Why are you asking?" She looked past them. "What happened to Vaan? Are you alright?" she asked, addressing the question to him this time, narrowing her brow.

"Fine," he said dismissively. "But what about –"

"The excitement just caught up to him a little, that is all," Fran told her. "Now, I think it is about time to head back. Shall we?" she asked her, standing and gently pushing the girl towards the door.

"I suppose so...although, could we take the long way back? I don't quite feel ready to return just yet," Geni asked as she looked up at Fran, a wearied look on her face.

"Of course," the Viera replied. She turned back to give a nod to Balthier before exiting as well.

"Hmm. Always something new with that girl," Balthier noted.

"What's going on? Why did Fran stop me?" Vaan quickly demanded him as he turned to face him.

"Didn't you notice?" the mentor asked of the student.

"Notice what?"

"She didn't remember," Penelo said slowly. "She wanted to know what had happened..."

"Exactly. Something isn't sitting right with me about that whole episode as it is, and it troubles me that if that was Cirèna popping through, why? Why now? And why didn't the two of them merge completely like Sora, Roxas, Kairi, and Naminé had?" Balthier furrowed his brow and sighed. "And it's giving me a headache."

"That is because you are thinking," Fran said wryly, stepping back in through the door. "Come, let us go. It seems like we will be mediators between her and her friends until they can figure out a way to sort through this."

"How is she?" Penelo asked, walking next to Vaan and occasionally glancing worriedly at him.

"As you suggested, she does not remember anything from the time that Vaan let her go, as if time had skipped between then and when she found herself blinded by my arm."

"Why did you do that anyway?" Vaan asked her.

"She was holding you with her eyes somehow. I am not sure _how_, exactly, as of yet though." Fran stared off into one of the walls as they walked, pondering the power in her mind.

"What? You don't know?" Balthier joked, as if affronted.

"I do not nor have ever claimed to 'know everything,'" she told him flatly.

"Just a joke my dear," he told her as he laughed unenthusiastically.

Vaan and Penelo gave each other that look that said _not again_ before coming to the door that led to the outside. Opening it, they saw a different cart with a different Chocobo and driver waiting for them, Geni sitting on one of the forward benches. She leaned back against the seat, staring off into the distance. The four of them walked out to the cart in silence, noting that the majority of people had quickly left the area of the amphitheatre. As they climbed in, Fran and Balthier immediately went to sit on either side of Geni, with Vaan and Penelo occupying the seats directly across from them. With a shout and a loud _wark!_ the Chocobo got underway and the cart clattered down the street.

"What are you thinking about?" Penelo asked Geni tentatively.

Geni darted her gaze across the small aisle, before returning it to the floor; she still slumped back into the seat, avoiding everyone's gazes. "Sorry Vaan," she said in a muffled voice.

"For what?"

"...for being a coward."

Vaan flinched. "Um, actually, I was…trying out some of that reverse psychology Penelo had told me about," he admitted. "You know, where you say or do the opposite to produce the action or words that you want the other person to do or say." He chuckled sheepishly, reaching across to pat her on her knee. "Maybe now wasn't the right time to try it."

"Maybe not," Penelo agreed. "Still, things seem to be going somewhat smoothly. We have the support of the clans and the traders; all we have to do now is wait for the Viera. Right Fran?"

She nodded. "That is correct. We still have two days left."

Geni looked up at her, fiddling with a splinter coming off of the bench. "But you said yourself they probably wouldn't come anyway."

"Probably…not definitely," Fran corrected her. "Jote seemed…_intrigued_ by you and your offer to them. It is not often that I see that kind of expression on her face."

The cart rattled down the quiet street, the only lights coming from the occasional post or closed window. "Still…" They were rambling down the main thoroughfare leading to the estate, and still not a soul had been seen for a while now. Blinking, Geni sat up slowly, listening. The only sounds came from the occasional muffled voices behind doors, the lights going out one by one…no birds, no crickets, no warking. Geni darted her gaze to the Chocobo leading them; its ear feathers were down and aiming backwards, its beak swaying from side to side.

She immediately stood up. "Fran, listen."

The Viera immediately complied, using her exceptionally large ears to listen, swiveling them to and fro. "What am I listening for?" she asked. Penelo, Vaan, and Balthier all had the same question waiting on their faces.

"Anything at all. Doesn't it seem quiet to you?" Geni said softly, looking around the area.

"It _is_ quiet…too quiet," Fran murmured. Why did she not notice the absence of the night creatures before now?

"Stop the cart," Geni commanded of the driver.

He quickly pulled the reigns in, halting the Chocobo in its tracks with a loud _kweh!_ "Yes, my lady?" he asked her, turning backwards.

"Shh," she hissed to them all. In silence the five of them sat in the semidarkness of the street, all alone.

Without any warning a loud whining noise was heard, before the street behind them exploded with debris, sending an enormous shockwave out around it. Vaan covered Penelo while Balthier stepped up in front of Geni. "Go!" he shouted to the driver.

The man didn't have to be told twice. As Balthier had barked the command, he was already forcing the Chocobo at a gallop towards the main gates.

Looking up, Geni was horrified to see more balls of fire raining down on the city with the same screeching, whining noise. Buildings here and there exploded, causing fires to erupt all over the city. Alarm bells began to ring, calling the people to arms. High above them, several dark shapes began to appear, enormous ships with search lights blinking one by one into existence, sweeping over the city to gloat at the damage caused.

Geni looked up in utter horror. "It's the capital – they're here!" she cried, biting her lip. True enough, once the ships were low enough, the telltale wooden framework gave away their attackers identities.

"How dare they!" Vaan ground out. "Bhujerba is free territory – they have no right making war on us."

"Not on you – on me…" Geni said, standing up to look at the sky. The harsh hot wind sweeping up from the fires behind them stung her eyes with smoke, once more destruction and devastation following her wake.

"We have to get to the estate and rally the people!" Vaan shouted over the noise of confused people as they began to swarm out of their houses.

"Hang on!" the driver shouted, whipping the reigns. The Chocobo took off like a shot, the cart bouncing all over the road. People dove out of the way, but most were taking the initiative to strap on armor and weapons and join their comrades in the streets. Some had begun putting out the fire, others tending to the wounded, and still more beginning to fortify the city. Silently and unknowingly, the royal flagship made its way directly over the estate's main mansion, covered in the smoke and confusion.

The guards opened the gates for them, the cart bumping through at a breakneck speed. Balthier and Fran were covering Geni from both sides, and Vaan had his arms protectively around Penelo. As they reached the main doors, they immediately swung open to reveal Sora and Riku running out to meet them.

"What's going on?" Sora shouted to them.

"It's the capital – they're destroying the city. We have to prevent them from taking any sections at all costs," Vaan told him as they stopped in front of them.

"Are you alright?" Riku asked in a concerned voice as he ran around the other side of the cart to where Geni was just standing.

"I'm fine," she told him dismissively, anger replacing the misery consuming her only moments before. Riku held out his hand, and she grabbed it as she leapt over the side of the cart. He caught her gently, placing her on the ground. "Where is everyone else?"

"Right there," he told her, pointing his chin towards the main doors. Kairi, King Mickey, Goofy, and just then Donald appeared. "We came back well enough, but no more than ten minutes later we started hearing these booms. One of the last shook the ground all around here, and that was when we saw the fires. What's going on?"

"It's the capital – the Guards. They're destroying the city," she told him as they came around the cart to see everyone assembled and the other guards assembling around them for instructions from Vaan. He shouted out orders, calling for armor and weapons to be distributed, groups to go out and put out the fires, and yet others to evacuate the people into the mines for safety. In groups here and there, people dashed out of the courtyard and into the city to protect their homes and families. The fiery destruction continued to rain down upon them, but this time if one looked carefully they could see tiny pinpricks coming down from the ships within the light of the fires – the capital was assaulting and invading Bhujerba.

"What can we do?" Kairi asked him as she stood next to Sora.

"Well, first of all, you can –" Vaan doled out instructions to the group, but two of them were not listening.

Geni and King Mickey stared at each other from several yards away. King Mickey's face was slightly more impassive, but in his eyes she could still see the anger seething there. With the backdrop of fire and destruction, she walked towards him with her chin held high, remembering Vaan's words. The panels of her divided skirt whipped in the wind around them, causing the blue stitching to ripple like waves of water around her. "King Mickey."

"What?"

Looking down at him from a few feet away, she told him straight out: "I'm not sorry for what I did. The right to having my own Keyblade is mine and mine alone. I do not, will ever need, nor should ever need your permission in this matter."

"That's not the point!" the king shouted angrily, his ears twitching. "I'm angry not because you have a Keyblade – in fact, I'm thrilled! What I'm angry about is that you left me out of the loop of your secret life even after the fact that I know about it already! Why couldn't you have just told us the whole truth from the start and saved us from this mess?!"

"Oh, like I didn't want to?! You think I enjoyed being everyone's plaything and always having to do what other people wanted me to?! The _Queen_ told me to fight Riku, _Lirona_ told Kyon to invite you to the lecture, _she_ told me to invite you to lunch, the _Queen_ forced you and Sora to agree to cutting your ties to me, the _Guard_ forced us to flee without even a goodbye and making me knock out Elwen in the process, and even here in Bhujerba I need the permission of _everyone_ _here_ just to bring justice to Lirona and the Queen! I have no free will! Are you finally satisfied with that?!" she finished, heaving from her rant. "Fine – everything is my fault! It's all my fault and always has been. Maybe…maybe if I hadn't been born, none of this would be happening now!"

The courtyard was dead silent, save the booming of explosions in the background.

Sora was fed up with all of this. He stomped towards his sister, his hand balled up into a fish in front of him. "Geni –" he began loudly.

"Allow me." A flash of silver slid between the twins as a thunderous _smack!_ was heard.

The force of the blow sent Geni's head spinning, and she fell down to the ground. Her eyes open wide, she could barely focus on Riku's still outstretched hand above her. Slowly her hand came up to touch the inflamed skin on her cheek, placing slight pressure there to alleviate the pain. "Why?" she whispered to him.

"That's for being so selfish," he told her irately. Bending down he carefully helped her to her feet; as soon as she stood on her own, Riku crashed his lips down upon her own, kissing her with an intense passion. Geni's eyes widened, her hands dropping lifelessly to her sides. As Riku pulled away, she could see his eyes shining in the semidarkness. "And that's for being born," he whispered into her ear as he clutched her tightly to him. "Never doubt that for a moment."

Sora smiled, having been upstaged by Riku. Turning, he expressed the same sentiments to King Mickey. "Riku's right – this isn't the time to be thinking of ourselves or of who kept what from whom. What's done is done, right? You two are both leaders, one a king and one a future queen. So why don't you act with the responsibility you have? So let's help out Vaan and the others and do our best to protect Bhujerba first before heading on to the capital. What do you say, King Mickey?"

The mouse king was silent for moment, looking upon the young Keybearer. He turned his face away, shaking his head a few times, before looking back up at Sora with a smile on his face. "I know I must be losing my touch when you start telling me how to do my job Sora." He walked forward to Geni, Riku reluctantly letting her go. "I am sorry for those terrible things I said – can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me? I spoke rashly, my emotions getting the better of me for once. I _am_ proud of you…I always knew you would be a wonderful Keybearer, a protector of the worlds."

Geni knelt down at once and embraced the mouse who for years now had been her foster father. "I'm sorry too King Mickey – you were right, I should have told you all right away. There won't be any secrets from now on, I promise you that."

King Mickey squeezed right back. "Good; I'm glad to hear that."

The whining noises of the bombardment began to move closer to their position and King Mickey and Geni separated. "We have to go and help the citizens of the city. Vaan, what –" Suddenly from above them, several bowling ball size packages fell and exploded all around them, creating an impenetrable smoke screen, as well as causing everyone there to begin coughing on its acrid vapor. "Quick! Use – _cough_ – wind magic to – _cough_ – blow it away!" Geni managed to get out as she held her hand over her mouth, her eyes watering. She began to summon gusts of wind in Aeroga all around her, but as she did she heard an ear splitting scream…even worse, a scream that began from near her and flew up into the sky.

"Kairi!" Sora cried with anguish into the air.

Geni sucked in a huge breath of air and immediately used as much power as she could, making a small explosion of air to dispel the smoke screen around them. The air immediately cleared to hit the far walls of the estate, showing the group and the few guards left.

Sora had his Keyblade out, standing in an attack position not too far from them, looking up. Geni ran towards him, her gaze aligning with his. A small hover ship floated gently in the warmed air, with a pilot and several people standing on it. Kairi's arms were being held behind her by one of the Guards in silver armor, their other hand covering her mouth, while two others flanked none other than Keldar and Donovan. Donovan smirked down at them, while Keldar's expression seemed to be more uncertain.

"Genevieve!" Keldar called down to her. "Give it up! Come with us quietly and we'll return your friend to you."

"Are you mad Keldar?! Kairi has nothing to do with this!" she shouted in rage up to him. "Let her go!"

"Do not try our patience girl," Donovan told her, his chin thrust in the air. "We do not bargain with murderers!"

"But I did not do it!" she denied.

"You were the last to be with the Queen and Lirona. Why did I find you and your friends with their dead bodies then, still warm?" he accused her.

Keldar decided step in. "Donovan, we have not proved that as of yet. All we wanted to do was bring her back for questioning. That's all." Looking down, he called to them. "We will give back the girl in exchange for your cooperation. We will also retreat all ships from Bhujerba back to the capital at once. What do you say?"

Geni looked down at the ground, pondering her options…which weren't many or good, for that matter. _What do I do? _she thought to herself. _I can't let them take Kairi away…but I can't surrender myself over to them…can I?_

Sora was torn between them, on one side his love and on the other his sister which he also loved dearly. Looking at Geni, he saw her considering her options. "What will we do?" he asked her with pleading eyes. "What can we do?"

"What is your answer?" Keldar called down to her.

"Your highness, let us not waste time with these ruffians. Let us take the girl as collateral and she will come to us," Donovan said quietly so the rest could not hear them. "The ex-princess would not leave an innocent in such a predicament as this."

"True," Keldar answered ambiguously. "Still…it does not feel right, being this dishonest. She is still Genevieve, after all – I've known her for years now and she has always kept her word."

"Yes, but how much of that was her lying and conniving to get to the point where she could usurp the Queen and take control of the Realm for herself?" Donovan retorted back to him. "What is the old saying? 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?'"

Keldar was silent. "You do make a good point," he slowly admitted.

Kairi listened to them in outrage. If the Guard hadn't had one of his hands over her mouth, and if it hadn't been covered in hard metal armor, she would have bit him hard and jumped and taken her chances with the ground rushing towards her instead. They had been right – Donovan was controlling Keldar like a puppet, guiding him into his way of thinking. She was furious, but she couldn't do anything at the moment; she was helpless, which made her even angrier.

"So what are we going to do?" Riku asked her as well in a low voice.

Geni looked once at him, and then turned her head to look at Sora. Sighing, she replied, "We give them what they want."

"What?!" he hissed back at her. "We can't sacrifice you to save Kairi! But we can't leave Kairi with them either."

"What other choice do we have Sora?" she asked him outright. "Besides, I have a plan."

"We're all ears," Vaan told her heartily. He heard a cough behind him. "Honest, it's just a figure of speech Fran."

"So what's the big plan, eh?" Balthier asked her, intrigued.

"This," she told her, reaching discreetly into the small bag that always hung at her waist. Digging around in it, she found the pointy object she was looking for. Pulling it out, she held up a crystal that shone a light blue color.

"Oh, I get it!" Sora exclaimed softly.

"Well I don't," Vaan said sourly. "What's your big plan and what does it have to do with that crystal?"

"These are twin crystals, imbued with magic to be like locater crystals between Sora and I. I gave it to him just after we met for the first time, so that no matter where we were in the universe, we would always be connected. It works the opposite way too – no matter where we are, we can use them like dousing rods to find each other. I wear mine, and you follow after us once you settle things here. Easy as pie."

"Well, it's a good plan, except for one flaw," Balthier pointed out to her.

"What is it?" she replied, tying the crystal behind her neck and hiding it discreetly under her shirt.

"What happens if something happens to you before we can reach you?" he asked her, a hint of concern entering his voice.

"He is right," Fran added. "We would not be able to leave for a short period after the ships leave."

"Then I'll stall," she told them. "All they want me to say is that I was the one who did it. I can lead them on a wild goose chase for an hour or two, no problem. Besides," she said, giving them all a look over, "do any of you have any _better_ ideas?"

The group was silent, proving her point. "Fine. However," Riku said, stepping forward and grabbing her hand unobtrusively, "you had better not get yourself hurt." He squeezed it for emphasis, looking deep into her eyes.

"I won't – you know I don't go down that easily," she replied with a grin, imitating Sora. "Just be ready, okay?" she added, the tiniest hint of a tremble in her voice.

"You can count on us," Sora affirmed, clenching the crystal in his fist. "We won't let you down."

"We'll be right behind you," Vaan also declared, giving a nod to the guards present.

"Okay then," she said, nodding back. Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly let go of Riku's hand. She stepped forward away from the group and towards the small hovering ship, its occupants staring at her hungrily.

"So, I see you've made your decision," Keldar immediately called down to her, seeing the movement. "A wise choice, I must say."

"Let Kairi go Keldar," she called up to him. "I only go with you once she's down here on solid ground."

"Of course – I never go back on my word," he replied with a huff. Snapping his fingers, the Guard released an irate Kairi, pushing her forward towards Keldar. "You are free to go," he told her.

"No – you can't do this! Geni, don't give yourself up to them!" she cried down to her friend.

"It's okay Kairi, don't worry," she called up to her, ignoring her plea.

The ship slowly lowered itself to the ground until it gently touched the earth. Keldar had been holding on to Kairi's arm, but at this point released her, giving her a slight push to jump off of the craft. Kairi did so gladly, running into her friend's arms. "Geni, don't do it! Don't go!" she hissed at her. "That Donovan's controlling what he wants Keldar to think – he isn't your friend like you thought he was!"

"Please don't worry," Geni told her, smiling. Kairi looked confused, and was about to say something else when Geni suddenly spun around and pushed her towards the rest of the group looking at them with cautious glances. "Go to Sora – I'll be fine."

Kairi stumbled forward, but before she could turn or utter another word, Geni had already crossed the distance in several large steps and stood in front of the Guard who had gotten out of the craft. In his hands held a pair of wrist cuffs; Geni held up her arms and he immediately clamped them on her. A chain connected the two cuffs, and in the middle of it was a lead chain that the Guard held. "Get on," he ordered her, pulling her harshly towards the ship. Geni stumbled a bit, earning a few snarls and harsh remarks from the group behind her, but she turned and smiled at them, reassuring them of her plan. Climbing onto the ship as best she could without using her hands, she saw the glee on Donovan's face and the passivity of Keldar's.

"Take us back to the ship," Keldar immediately ordered.

"Yes sir," on of the Guards replied. With a lurch the craft ascended into the air towards the enormous ship hovering over the marquis' estate. As it did, the bombardment suddenly ceased, and small figures began to ascend upwards back to the ships they had come from.

Kairi watched as the small ship flew high into the air, until she could no longer see Geni's smiling face through the smoke. She felt Sora wrap his arms around her, turning her away from the sight. "Are you alright?" he asked her, extremely worried.

Kairi turned to him, misery and anger written all over her face. "You-you! Why did you let her go! Who knows what they'll do to her?! We have to go –"

"And rescue her?" Sora finished, holding up the crystal for her to see.

Kairi's face instantaneously drained of all emotion. "Your crystals," she said in comprehension. "You have a plan?"

"Of course," he told her with a grin. "And Geni's in on it. All we have to do is finish helping here, and then chase after them."

"Then let's hurry up. Guards!" Vaan barked. He began to issue orders immediately, canceling the evacuation into the mines, and ordering the soldiers to assist the injured and put out the fires. "Balthier, Fran – can you get the _Strahl_ ready in less than an hour?"

"Twenty minutes and we're in the air," he told him with a smirk.

"However, we do not have full weaponry loaded onto the ship – we cannot fight them directly at all costs," Fran advised him.

"Doesn't matter. All we need is speed and evasion," Vaan told them. "Get it done. Donald, Goofy, and Sora – since you know more about flying machines that the rest of your friends, go with them and assist them in prepping for launch."

"Yes sir, a-hyuk!" Goofy said with a salute as the three of them chased after the debonair sky pirate and his Viera partner.

"Kairi, Riku, King Mickey – we'll need to grab some equipment to take with us. Please follow me," Vaan told them. "Penelo, can you grab some spare medical equipment...just in case?"

"I'll be back in a moment," she promised him, running towards the main gates.

Turning, Vaan led the way back into the main house of the estate. "We need to stop by the armory and prepare all of you – from what I'm guessing, we might only have time to rescue Geni and then join the fleet as it moves towards the capital. On the other hand, they might already know of our plans since it seemed as if they were trying to target the living quarters of the city as well as the Aerodrome." He turned down a darkened hallway, still no one in sight since they entered the house. "Here we are," he said, stopping at the first visible door. Turning the handle, he opened it into a room full of armor and weapons. "Since by now you know we already have all of the weapons we'll need, we have to grab some spare armor for all of you," he explained, walking towards several large chests by the wall. "Balthier and Fran already have all of their equipment on the _Strahl_, so we just need to grab the basics for the rest of us."

"And what do you consider the basics?" King Mickey asked him, a nervous twitch in his voice.

"Just some light leather armor; its sturdy and will do a fine job, rather than the bulky metal armor we also have. However, if you do feel more comfortable fighting in your own clothes, that would be alright as well. We can grab those before we leave too."

Riku nodded, looking over the simple but tough leather. "Sora's clothes were given to him by the three Good Fairies, so they'll probably protect him better than any other armor ever could." He worked quickly, wanting to get underway as soon as possible. _You had better stay safe Geni...I won't forgive you if you allow yourself to get hurt because of us._

On board the flagship of the royal fleet, the _Twilight_, Geni was being forcefully dragged down one of the long corridors behind Keldar and Donovan. So far this was the only rough treatment she had received, besides the insults and random object thrown at her from the people that managed to line the hallways or the side passages they passed by. One in particular had thrown a heavy metal pipe at her, hitting her leg, which she already knew to have caused a bruise and a small cut. She closed her eyes, shutting out the noise. _They don't know...they don't know...don't blame them..._she kept repeating to herself.

"Here we are," Donovan announced a little too gleefully. They had arrived at a plain door in the long hallway, flanked by two Guards. Geni looked up warily, searching their faces for any recognition. Seeing nothing but contempt in their glares at her, she allowed her head to drop back down. The Guards dragged her in behind the two rulers, forcing her to sit in an uncomfortable wooden chair. Her leg throbbed slightly, but she wasn't any worse for the wear...yet. "Now, tell us what happened the night you murdered the Queen and Madame Lirona," Donovan demanded from her, standing in the corner out of the single light that hung over her.

"I didn't do it!" she insisted to them, mostly to Keldar. "I would never hurt them, nevertheless kill them!"

"Shut up," a male Guard told her, smacking the back of her head with his metal gauntlet. Geni fell forward onto the floor, her eyes seeing stars. Someone heaved her up a little more gently and sat her back on the chair. She blinked, seeing Keldar looking at her with a little more interest.

"Now, just tell us what happened," he asked her in an even voice. "And no interruptions," he said angrily to the Guards. "You will not lay a hand on her."

"Yes, your highness," the two of them replied in unison, backing away towards the closed door.

"Now, Genevieve – explain to us what happened a week ago. What happened after the Sealing Ceremony took place in the throne room? We all saw you leave to go to the Nurturing, but no one saw you come back to the Palace."

"Well...I..." and so Geni began to explain to Keldar what happened, including when they found Donovan with the Queen. At that point Donovan started spluttering, but Keldar hushed him until she was finished. She kept out the part of the creatures living within the Beast's Rest, and skimmed over their time in Bhujerba, especially the part about the rebellion. She took as long as she could and put in enough detail to choke a Chocobo, but even so it was barely forty minutes later by the time she finished. "And that is what happened until just a while ago," she finished. "You have to believe me Keldar, it was Donovan, not me!"

The Crown Prince was silent, mulling over her words. Most of it was concurrent with what they already knew; the conflicting stories between her and Donovan were what was the most troubling.

"Your highness! You can't honestly expect a murderer like herself to be telling the truth, now can you?!" Donovan admonished him. "Look at the lies she spun to try and win you over!"

"That's enough, Advisor Donovan," Keldar reprimanded him harshly.

"But your highness –! Who would you rather believe: myself, who stood by the Queen and now by you during these turbulent crises, or to the girl who chose to be with outsiders rather than yourself? Especially when she seems to have an intimate relation with one of them...the silver haired one she fought with in the arena, I believe."

_Snap_. Keldar froze in place, but he always stood very still so there was no noticeable difference from usual...unless you knew him as well as Donovan and Geni did.

_Got him_, Donovan thought maliciously.

"That's none of your business!" Geni snarled at him, forcing herself to stay seated.

"Ah, hit a nerve, have we?" Donovan said, sneering at her as he came close and put his face in hers. "It would be such a shame if something should happen to him...don't you agree? Hmm?"

"Shove it!" Geni shouted, reaching her breaking point. She lunged from the chair ready to wrap her fingers around his neck, until a bone breaking force bashed her into the metal floor. Faster than the blink of an eye she hit the ground, the sound of a bone snapping in two echoing off the walls.

"Ah!" she screamed in pain, her hand clutching her side, breathing harsh short gasps.

"How dare you! Attacking a royal advisor is grounds for treason and death!" Donovan quickly cried, his breathing quickened by how close he had come to those clenching hands. "This murderous intent you have is all the proof we need that you killed the Queen and Lirona! Your highness, you must pronounce her sentence immediately!" he told Keldar, hobbling on over to him with his cane. Keldar was still silent as he watched Geni writhing in pain in front of the chair, the two Guards now holding her down to the floor. "Crown Prince Keldar!" Donovan shouted in his ear.

That seemed to awaken Keldar from his trance. "The Infinite Canyon," he said immediately.

Geni paled, her thrashing stopping. "Keldar," she whispered in horror.

"An excellent choice, your highness. We will prepare for departure immediately."

"Good," Keldar said, looking down at Geni once more with an impassive expression before he turned and walked out of the dark room, blinding them once with the light of the hallway before slamming it shut behind him.

Donovan turned to the Guards with an evil smile. "Do with her what you want – just make sure she's unconscious but still breathing by the time we get there. Strip her of everything that ever gave her rank or recognition as well. You have a little over an hour."

"Yes sir," the two Guards replied, laughing a sinister laugh.

Donovan nodded, and then hobbled out on his cane, closing the door softly behind him. The two Guards stood up, looking down at the ex-princess slash murderer. "You're ours now, girlie," one of them told her as he squatted down to pull her up by her long braid which had come undone when she fell, making her wince.

"Let's have some _fun_," the other said, reaching behind him to pull out a short dagger which glinted evilly in the light from the one lamp high above them.

Geni's eyes grew wide and frightened as he drew ever closer to her...


	33. Race Against Time

Chapter 32

..._SORA!!!_

Sora winced, his hearing temporarily disabled by the scream that seemed to come from within him rather than from one of his comrades. He put his hand to his head, trying to apply pressure to the sudden splitting headache.

"Sora? Sora, what's wrong?" Kairi immediately asked him, running over to him when seeing him in pain. It had only been a little less than an hour since Geni had given herself up and the ships had left, leaving Bhujerba to lick its wounds. Balthier, Fran, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had in record time prepared the _Strahl_for launch, dashing around the Aerodrome like crazed ants in a flooded anthill. The ship was illuminated from below and above by large lamps, casting eerie shadows across the walls. At that very moment they were loading the last of the supplies that they would need onto it before they could take off after his sister. Kairi put an arm around his shoulders, peering at him worriedly. "Sora?"

He squinted, the headache suddenly disappearing as quickly as it came. He opened his eyes, looking up at Kairi, suddenly realizing the full extent of what he had felt. "Geni..." he told her, his eyes fearful. He quickly pulled out his half of their crystal from underneath his shirt; it was still glowing, but every few seconds or so it would grow dimmer before growing brighter again.

"Something's happened?" she asked him.

"I don't know; I can still feel her, feel where they're headed. But I think we need to really hurry," he told her, standing up.

Kairi nodded. "Let's tell everyone then."

"Tell everyone what?" Riku asked them, coming up from behind them with another large crate. He saw the worried expressions on his friend's faces. He dropped the crate. "What? What happened?" he demanded.

"I-I'm not sure yet," Sora told him. "I thought I heard Geni calling me, but when she did I got this massive headache for a moment, like she was shouting right in my ear."

"What kind of shout?" Riku asked him quickly.

"Like...like she was scared," Sora admitted to him quietly.

Riku's pale face paled even more so. Still, he set his jaw and picked up the crate he had been hauling. "We've got no time to spare then." He set off to the hatch of the ship just as Balthier was stepping out. The dashing sky pirate looked at the silvered one's face and frowned. "What's up with him?" he asked Sora as he came up to him.

"Bad news," Kairi told him.

He frowned. "Why? What's happened?"

"Something happened to Geni. I don't know what, but I don't think its good," Sora told him truthfully. Looking up, he asked him, "Are we ready to leave?"

"We are now," Balthier told him, frowning. "Make sure everyone gets inside the ship – I'll go get takeoff clearance from Nono." Balthier flipped around and briskly walked back into the ship, calling out Fran's name.

Sora curled his hand into a fist. "I knew this was a bad idea," he admitted to Kairi.

"So did I. But what were we supposed to do? Geni chose the easiest way to save the people without any more harm to anyone but her. You would have done the same thing," she told him, poking him in the arm. "Now all we can do is come to her rescue. We'll be there in no time at all."

"I really hope you're right," Sora told her, gracing her with a small smile.

"Come on you two," Riku called from the door to the ship. "Balthier just told me we're taking off now."

"Coming!" Sora called to him. "Let's hurry," he told Kairi, taking her hand and hurrying them both inside of the ship.

Hundreds of miles away, Donovan and Keldar stood on the bridge of the _Twilight_. A smirking smile had implanted itself onto Donovan's face, clearly showing to everyone how pleased he was with the turn of events. _Two down, two to go_, he told himself gleefully. _One sooner than the other…and then the power will be mine. They foolishly thought they could keep it under lock and key…hmph. Power like that is meant to be used to control the universe and keep ultimate rule over all things. Those fools…peace, huh?_ He snorted quietly to himself.

Keldar was having a different sort of thought process as he stood tall above the crew, constantly maintaining vigilance upon all of the systems of the ship as well as their surroundings. _I was right…she did go to Bhujerba. She must be more desperate than I thought. But still…_ he clenched his fist. _Why him? We were supposed to be a perfect match in every way. Everyone was even reconsidering our political relationship, considering reconnecting ourselves to the rest of the universe once more. Why would she jeopardize that? I just don't get it…why? Why?!_

"Sir," one of the men at the front of the bridge called to him, stirring him out of his musings. "We are approaching the Infinite Canyon now sir."

"Bring us down then," Keldar informed him. Turning to a subordinate behind him, he told her "Have the selected crewmen and women go and prepare the site. We will bring the prisoner shortly."

"Yes sir," the woman saluted, bowing with her right hand over her left fist. She stood and walked out of the room.

Keldar nodded, turning back towards the large open window in front of them, displaying the slightly desolate landscape before them. On one of the far sides of the Beast's Rest an enormous gaping canyon marred the tree filled landscape. The dark stone below belied the depth of the canyon, which to this day no one knows how deep it really is. The trees do not grow within a mile of it, except for the ominous looking contraption sitting next to it. One can see a wide platform next to the canyon, with a long arm of wood extending from it over the canyon at least one hundred feet or more. Those who watch the brutal torment stand upon this platform, but those who are being tortured have a much crueler fate. For you see, this form had not been used in centuries, and the wood was already weakening, so much so that it is more of a death sentence than its old form of torture.

The prisoner is brought up to the platform before the rest of the watchers. At the beginning of the construction of the wooden arm, ropes are tied in several places around their bodies: the left wrist, the right wrist, the left ankle, the right ankle, the middle, and the neck. After finishing this job, the prisoner is ready to be hung out over the canyon. At first, the guard with them uses their power to keep them both aloft as they are transported out over the canyon. However, at reaching the end of the arm, the guard secures the six ends of the rope above the prisoner. Once finished the guard immediately retreats to the safety of the platform, leaving the prisoner to keep themselves aloft in the air.

However, the ropes are meant to be weak, which begins the prisoner's torture: they must keep themselves aloft and the ropes from breaking, lest they fall into the Infinite Canyon…their imminent death hidden in its darkness. Of course, this means those with less power or almost no power at all would fall within minutes, their screams echoing longer than their struggle. For those who would last longer, as their power diminished with using it for so long biting pressure would begin to gnaw at them where the ropes were tied. So for the latter, the excruciating pain of the tightening ropes would make them lose their concentration as they slowly lost feeling in their limbs before they would fall to their deaths.

As Donovan thought about the process in his mind, he thought to himself, _Will she be the former or the latter? Will she drop immediately, or will she fight and injure herself more so before she falls? Either way, one less royal in my way._

A small, almost unnoticeable bump throughout the ship announced their arrival. "We've set down sir," the man from before called up. "Engines slowing down to standby mode."

"Good. We won't be long here," Keldar announced. He turned and walked to the door leading out of the bridge of the sky ship. Donovan quickly hobbled after him with his cane. The doors immediately opened in front of him, showing two Guards standing watch. "To the prisoner's cell," he told the Guard to his right.

"Yes sir," a woman saluted. The two turned about face and began to march down the hall in front of the Crown Prince and his advisor. The shiny halls were silent, their footsteps echoing noisily. This time, not a crew member was to be seen or heard; it was as if the area itself was frightening them into silence. For there is no one in the universe that is not entirely afraid, or even cautious of, the things they do not know or do not understand.

Turning, they entered the area where the ship's holding cells were. There was one Guard, not two as when they had left, standing outside of the door. As Keldar approached, he heard thudding sounds coming from inside of the room, and someone shouting. He quickened his pace. "What is going on here?!" he demanded of the Guard.

"We were just roughing up the prisoner a bit," he told him, "sir."

"And who said you could do that?" he retorted icily.

"Advisor Donovan sir," the Guard replied hesitantly, looking in the direction of the elderly man.

Keldar whipped around. "Why?" he queried.

"Do not forget, your highness, that she will be executed for murder and high treason against the crown within the hour," Donovan said in an even tone, looking Keldar in the eyes. "Would you rather send her out whole and healthy with the possibility for a chance to escape and take revenge, or give her some small injuries to lesson that prospect? What would your people want, your highness? To know that the murderess of their beloved Queen and head of the music branch of the Academia was able to escape and is coming after them next? Or to put their minds at ease that a dangerous criminal will no longer bring any harm to them or to the Realm?" He breathed in deeply. "What is not needed is any personal feelings towards the ex-crown princess at the moment, your highness, but what is best for the Realm," he added a little more softly, a little more emotion in his voice.

Keldar was lulled to partial complacency by Donovan's words. "I...I suppose you are right," he said after several moments. He blinked, feeling a slightly heavy sensation in his head. "No. You are right. I must do what is best and protect the Realm at all costs." He turned towards the Guard. "Bring the prisoner – no matter what condition she is in. Bind her hands and feet, but let her walk."

"Yes, your highness," the Guard said, bowing. He turned and knocked on the door several times. "Time's up," he called in.

The thudding stopped as well as the shouting. Several heavy footsteps were heard before the door opened and the other Guard stepped out. In one hand was a blunt object, a long cylinder with a leather grip on one end. It looked like it had seen many years of use. In his other hand was the small dagger loaned to him by the other Guard; it gleamed red in the light of the hall, a small droplet falling to the floor next to his foot. "Time to go already?" he said, disappointment in his voice.

"Yes. We must bind her hands and feet, but she has to be able to walk."

"Alright...if she can," he added under his breath. The two Guards walked into the holding cell. It was a mess, to say the least. The chair which had been in one piece was now in splinters all over the room, many in the legs, arms, and back of the only other occupant in the room. Besides the wood silvers, there were dents in the walls, slash marks on the floor, and a glistening red substance everywhere. It looked as if a wild animal had gone on a rampage inside of the small room. "Time to go girlie," he told a prostrate figure on the floor with a sneer, bending down. The only response was a few twitches of a finger or two.

"Thanks Nono – we're taking off," Balthier said into a microphone he had pulled down from above him. Releasing it, it snapped back up into place as he began to flip switches and push several buttons. "Right then – hang onto your dinners people."

Behind Fran and Balthier in the pilot and copilot's chairs sat Penelo and Vaan as well as King Mickey. Donald, Goofy, Sora, Kairi, and Riku were currently suiting up as it were with the armaments that Penelo and Vaan had provided for them. Those in the cockpit were already fit for battle; each had donned their own version of armor as well as their weapons. Balthier's double barrels hung neatly at his sides, ready to be pulled at a moment's notice. Fran's sizeable bow and a large quiver of personally crafted arrows lay next to her. Penelo's double short katana lay resting in her lap, while Vaan's single large sword rested near his feet. Watching them, King Mickey was prone to ask, "Vaan, if I may?"

Vaan turned to look at the mouse king. "Yes?"

"Why are you taking other weapons when you have your Keyblades? Aren't they enough?"

Vaan smiled. "Geni fought with her staff, did she not?"

"Well, yes…but that was to keep the Keyblade a secret."

"We have somewhat of the same policy. A Keyblade to our people is what you would consider a sacred weapon; it is used by good to fight evil, although as you can see the lines are sometimes blurred when you have wielders of the darkness fighting with the good guys. The people of the Realm train in two types of weapons since they are but children: the Keyblade, of course, and then a weapon of their choice. Hence the swords, spears, bow and arrows, guns, etcetera."

"I see," he replied, nodding. A sudden lurch brought his attention to the two pilots. "Are we ready to take off?"

Balthier nodded, still staring out the front window. "We're all set – time to start the rescue mission!"

The enormous doors of the Aerodrome began to open in front of them as the ship hovered in midair. Workers scrambled to get out of the way as the _Strahl_began its final trek out of the hangar. Others worked tirelessly on their own ships as well, leaving the cleaning up of Bhujerba to the civilians as well as the merchants and traders. Fires had slowly come under the sway of the water being thrust upon them, and had died to only wet cinders. Houses and buildings which had been blown apart were being picked through with a fine comb to look for those who may be trapped beneath them. And the special group of ten was heading out to reclaim their voluntarily kidnapped princess.

Down below, five people swayed back and forth as they felt the ship rise. "Here we go," Donald quacked to them. "Hurry up and finish getting ready," he told the rest of them as he looked out a port window to see the ground slowly falling away from them as they hovered inside of the Aerodrome.

"How long will it take to catch up with them, do you think?" Sora called over to him as Kairi assisted him in placing a light chainmail underneath his shirt, which would be covered by his t-shirt and short coat. They had already switched back to their regular clothes, but agreed that it might be necessary and not a bad idea to put on a little extra armor.

"They've already got more than an hour on us," Riku told him, adjusting a helmet Goofy had decided to put on. Incidentally, there were holes just big enough to stick his ears through…as if he didn't look comical enough.

"Balthier said the _Strahl_was the fastest ship in their fleet though," Kairi added. "And from their display just before we came to Bhujerba, I have a feeling we can make up the distance in no time at all."

"But we don't know where they're going at all," Sora protested. "It may take to long to figure out by the time we do, and…and…" he trailed off, clenching his fingers into a fist.

"It won't Sora," Riku told him, walking up to him. He gave him a sharp jab on his chest. "This is why. Remember?"

Sora looked down, seeing the purple pulsating pendant on his chest. He smiled softly; bringing his fingers up to brush against it, he immediately felt a calming sensation. He could almost see Geni standing in front of him, smiling to him. _Don't worry about me Sora_, she seemed to be saying. _I'll be waiting._

Sora fisted the crystal. "We're coming," he told the apparition softly as it vanished from his vision. He narrowed his gaze. "Let's get up to the cockpit then – Balthier and Fran will need some directions."

Riku patted his friend on the shoulder. "Okay. Lead the way Sora." Striding forward, the Keyblade master walked out into the narrow passageways of the ship, following it until he reached a crossroads, taking the small flight of stairs to his right which led directly into the pilot's cabin of the _Strahl_.

"Ah, our navigator has arrived," Balthier said, not even bothering to turn around as he carefully maneuvered the _Strahl_ out through the enormous doors of the Aerodrome. "Once we get outside of the city, you'll have to point us in the right direction. From there we can probably guess at to where they're headed."

"Right," Sora said with a nod. "Depending on where they are going, how long do you think it will take for us to catch up to them?"

"The _Strahl_ is a fast girl, do not worry," Fran reassured them. "We fly twice as fast as the royal airships at our top speed."

"Good," Sora replied, breathing a sigh of relief. He looked out through the window of the cabin, watching the night sky come into focus through the dark clouds around the city. Past the lights of the houses and other buildings, the sky was a dark black, the clouds reflecting what light there was back towards them. Closing his eyes, Sora gently surrounded the crystal with his fingers and concentrated on the power coming from it. He frowned; it was not as strong as it usually was which worried him. However, it was still constant. Sora focused on the stream of energy which was feeding his crystal, noting that from where he stood it was coming from in front of him but slightly to the left. Opening his eyes, he leaned forward and pointed. "That way," he told Balthier and Fran.

"Right-o," Balthier said, turning the controls. "North by northwest Fran, forty degrees."

"Forty degrees, aye." Fran looked closely at the regional maps, noting any large landmarks between them and their targets. Nothing but low lying forest area from them until the Beast's Rest so far.

"Wait…they're turning. A little more to the left," Sora suddenly said, his eyes still closed.

Fran adjusted her sights, adding another ten degrees or so. Suddenly, something large and jagged swam into her vision on the map. She suddenly grasped where the ship was headed, if not with a definitive answer. "Balthier…" she said, her voice taking on an anxious tone.

He flipped his head to the right, hearing the change of tone in her voice. "Where are we going Fran?" he asked her, his voice tight.

"…the Infinite Canyon," she told him, casting her eyes downwards. An audible gasp was heard from behind them, Penelo turning white and Vaan squeezing her hand as he shook from inner rage.

The rest of the group looked on, oblivious as to the reason for their reactions. "What does that mean?" King Mickey asked, waiting for the worst.

Balthier's grip tightened on the steering column, ignoring the king's question. He was silent, before… "Fran, head back to the engines. Get ready to use our secret weapon."

"What?!" the Viera said, her jaw unexpectedly dropping, a very human reaction etched on her face.

"It's the only way we'll catch them in time. Now, please hurry up." He began to give more gas to the _Strahl_, pushing her forward as fast as she would go right then. The clouds passed by faster and faster, until they emerged into a gorgeous night sky. The stars sparkled overhead, the moon shining just behind them. Balthier kept his eyes forward, biting his lip. "We can't lose any more time than we have already," he told her. "Not if that's their destination."

Fran closed her mouth, nodding, tight-lipped. "Give me one minute." She jumped out of her seat and swept passed their passengers, earning strange looks. Balthier began pulling more levers and pushing more buttons, reaching high above him to release several switches. Penelo and Vaan sat still, Penelo's eyes threatening to overflow with tears.

King Mickey was silent as he observed their actions, but could not wait forever. His daughter was in danger, he was sure, but in how much danger he was not sure. "Where are they headed Balthier?" he asked the sky pirate as he came forward and stood next to him, looking up. "Why must we hurry even more so? What _is_ the Infinite Canyon?"

The suave sky pirate looked down at the worried king. He sighed. "The Infinite Canyon is an old place, even by our standards. It has been since time immemorial, and its name says it all: the canyon stretches for hundreds of miles north to south along the Beast's Rest, and has no bottom. Many people have tried to discover its depth, but all of the rope in the world couldn't find a bottom to it. It is for that reason that the Infinite Canyon has always been used to…torture and execute the highest priority criminals against the Realm."

"Execute?!" King Mickey shouted, startling everyone. "Why are they going to kill her?! What about a trial, and being judged, and…"

"And nothing. If they think at all that she's the one who killed Queen Hisako, then they're going to execute her and that will be the end of it. Besides, this may buy us some time anyways."

"How so?" King Mickey demanded.

"Well, the way that executions are set up is that the prisoners are hung out over the canyon. They must use their own strength, will power, and magic to keep them aloft. If they get tired, or run out of energy, then they will fall. Knowing Geni, she could keep herself aloft for hours if need be."

"But what if she's hurt?" Sora asked quietly.

Balthier turned around and looked at him. "Is she?" he said, looking at him with piercing eyes.

Sora averted his gaze. "She might be."

"Then we had better hurry, hadn't we?" Fran came walking through the crowd of people to her copilot's chair. King Mickey moved back and out of her way. "We are ready."

"Good. If you're standing, I would suggest planting yourself on the floor. Strap yourselves in people – it will be a little bumpy." Balthier pulled a rectangular piece away from the controls and flipped the panel on top of it open. A small red button quietly lay inside. "Here we go!" he said, and pressed it down firmly.

Walking down the ramp, one Guard led the way as the entourage proceeded to the site. He was followed by Keldar, then Donovan, and the prisoner being assisted by two more Guards, and followed lastly by one more Guard. As they descended, a long row of Guards defined the path they were to follow. The lights from the ship illuminated the immediate area around them, the only other lights coming from the contraption just ahead of them. The silver armor glistened in the night around them, turning the line into a small constellation.

As they descended, the female prisoner was lucky enough that the two Guards that had been her "companions" for the last hour and a half were leading the way and trailing behind her. Two female Guards now had watch over her as they dragged her along towards her inevitable fate. Her hands and feet were tied together with a little rope between them to allow her to move them if only slightly. Staggering down the ramp was much easier than the bumpy terrain she encountered when she set foot upon the earth once more. As she hit the dirt, the only order barked was "Get her on her feet!" She lay there, panting and heaving, her body too exhausted to move on its own. However, she felt gentle hands on either side of her pull her up from underneath her arms, placing themselves on either side of her to balance her.

"Do not lose hope yet, princess," a kind voice whispered in her ear.

She tried turning her head, hoping her blurred vision could give her a face to match the voice. Instead they began to drag her along once again, her head hanging on her chest, the tiniest bit of warm kindness gone.

All the while, Donovan had been speaking quietly to Keldar. "This is what is best for the Realm, your highness," he continued. "The sooner we get rid of all forms of strife and unrest, the more quickly we can grab hold of a permanent peace, a calm, for all people. Your highness is just the kind of person to bring in that reign. Why do we need outsiders? We are perfectly capable and perfectly happy without the influence of the rest of the universe. Do you not agree?"

"Hn," he replied, his eyes always looking forward, but his ears on Donovan. "I suppose that is true."

"It is true, very true," Donovan readily agreed. "Your name would forever be known as Keldar the Peaceful, Keldar the Pacifist, Keldar the Wise. Why, His Majesty would indeed be very proud of you at this very moment."

Keldar's eyes softened momentarily, although he could still feel that same pressure poking into his temples. Donovan saw this slight change in his demeanor and took hold of it. "Why yes, His Majesty would be applauding your actions right now! He had a firm hand in the running of the Realm, unlike Her Majesty – may she rest in peace – who was the first to want to admit outsiders here! Look at what that kind of interference has brought us, and her! She was killed for it, after all of her kindness."

_This is too easy!_ Donovan thought to himself with and evil glee. _If I had known that this boy was so easily swayed by pride and ambition years ago, I would have had my power long before this!_

One of the Guards shifted as they walked passed, their armor clinking slightly. That was the only sound of disagreement among them, for although most of the Guards lining the long walk to death for the ex-crown princess were required to do as their monarch told them to, it did not mean that it was right. One by one, as the entourage walked by, each Guard turned to face towards the contraption of death that awaited them on the higher platform. Several Guards were already in place waiting for them, long pieces of rope lying between them.

As the initial Guard began his ascent up the platform, the sinister device that was meant to execute prisoners of the Realm came into view. It was simple enough, really. A long arm of wood stretched out over the canyon itself, while the prisoner was tied to a moving rail that ran the length of it. The wood was ancient and worn, a testament to its use in its hay day.

The Guard stood by his comrades, while Keldar and Donovan stood opposite them to watch. The prisoner was brought forward, pushed down on her knees by the two Guards with her, one of their hands on each shoulder as her arms were raised backwards behind her, the rope cut from between them. Donovan walked forward and stood in front of her. He looked down at her before he began to speak. "Genevieve Keilanyi Astraea, former Crown Princess of the Realm. You are hereby charged with the heinous crimes of murder: the murder of our noble Queen Hisako, and her ladyship Madame Lirona, head of the music branch of the Academia. This you confessed in your own words. How do you plead?"

Geni coughed once, before squinting and looking up. "I plead…not guilty," she said in a hoarse but proud voice. "I did not commit those crimes. _You_ did…Donovan." It took all of her strength to say those few words; once done, her head lolled down upon her chest.

There was a surprised amount of quiet chatter from amongst those present at her words. The only persons quiet were those who knew the truth.

"Silence!" he commanded, pounding his cane before him. The murmuring immediately halted. "Your words matter not criminal. Now his highness, Crown Prince Keldar, will proceed with your sentencing." Donovan backed away, bowing towards him as Keldar stepped forward.

Keldar's russet eyes looked out at the Guards assembled there on the platform and those still towards the ship, awaiting his next actions. He looked down at Geni, his mind taking in her ragged appearance. _This is what is best for the Realm_, he justified to himself. _…Isn't' it?_

"Genevieve Keilanyi Astraea," he began. He sucked in a breath of air and stood up straight and tall. "You are hereby sentenced to death for the murders of Queen Hisako and Madame Lirona. Your form of execution shall be to hang above the Infinite Canyon and await your own death for as long as you shall be able to keep yourself from falling. Guards, bind together her hands and her feet."

The two Guards holding Geni down made room for two other Guards holding lengths of rope. Her arms were brought down behind her and laced together, while her ankles were bound as she sat there. Once finished, the Guards began to go for more rope. "Wait," Keldar ordered them. "Leave us be for a moment."

Donovan gnashed his teeth quietly. "Why, your highness? We must proceed with the execution."

"I wish to speak with the prisoner alone for a moment. As the Crown Prince of the Realm, I command you all to step below the platform and wait for my word. Now go," he barked at all of them.

The Guards immediately turned tail down the steps, leaving Geni to slump to the wooden floor. The only people who were slightly slower were Donovan and his two personal Guards. "If you so wish, your highness," he said in an uncertain voice, fuming inside. He hobbled over to the steps and slowly walked down them, his Guards behind them. Once they were all gone, Keldar knelt down and gently brought Geni up to a half sitting position, staring down at her. Her proud spikes were limp with sweat and blood, her eyes unfocused, and at least the formation of one black eye apparent. Her nose was crooked from where the Guard had punched her and broke it – a small blood trail ran down out of her right nostril and along the side of her mouth to prove it, and finally the larger trail of blood running down the left side of her face where her head was repeatedly smashed into the wall. "You look horrible," he told her in a quiet voice. "Why didn't you fight back?"

She blinked several times, heaving in shallow breaths. "I'm guilty," she whispered, her voice hoarse and breaking. "You said so yourself."

Keldar closed his eyes, and using his right hand brought it over her face. He began to emit a soft, pale green light. A small _snap!_ brought her nose back into place.

"Why are you healing a murderer?" Geni laughed, which caused her to start hacking up a lung. Her body convulsed as she did, causing her to hiss in pain – especially since her hands were tied behind her.

"Just tell me this." Keldar removed his hand from her vision and affectionately placed it on her cheek. "Why did you give her a warrior's rest?"

Geni closed her eyes, lavishing the comforting touch. "She saved my life," she whispered to him. Keldar heard the pain and anguish in those four little words, and then he knew the truth.

"I'll stop this. You don't have to –" He was stopped by a small pain on his index finger. He looked down to see that she had bitten him to get his attention.

"Keldar," Geni said, her blue eyes staring deeply into his brown eyes, the flecks of green hidden in the dark of the night. His hair blended with the color of the night sky, the spikes outlining his own constellation high above him. "No."

"Why?" he demanded, his throat constricting. "If you're innocent, then…"

"It's _because_ I'm innocent. The people need someone to lead them, and you can't let Donovan have his way. He's already framed me for this, and all I can do now is play the role of the rebel leader. But you," she smiled up at him, "you can be the hero who thwarts the evil plot to save the day. Donovan wants the ultimate power of this Realm. I don't know how, but it is up to you now. You're the Realm's only hope…" She began to cough once more, a small line of red trickling from the side of her mouth.

"Geni," Keldar said, enveloping the severely wounded girl in his arms.

"Don't…you'll get dirty…" she wheezed out at him.

"I don't care," he told her childishly.

"Keldar." She spoke with a stern voice, as if admonishing a child. Keldar let go of her, a white light enveloping his clothes, taking away all the dirt and sweat and blood of her. "Go – we must play our parts as he has written them. But don't forget that you are the one who can rewrite this tragedy of his."

He nodded. "I understand." Standing up, he called in a loud voice, "Donovan!"

Immediately crooked thumps were heard hurrying up the stairs. "Yes, your highness?" the older man immediately asked. His quick glance over the prince confirmed that he was still under his control – at least he thought so. Keldar's uniform was still immaculate, and the girl was still lying on the ground where they had left her.

"Hang this traitor," he spat at her, an angry look on his face.

"Yes your highness! Guards!" he ordered. Immediately four Guards came running up the stairs towards them. "Finish binding her and send her out!"

"Yes sir!" they saluted. Two Guards hauled Geni to her feet, and two brought forth the rope. They began with tying one piece of rope around her bound wrists, and another piece around her ankles. The next piece of rope was tied around her waist, and the last piece of rope around her neck. She gagged slightly as they did this, one of the Guards cruelly pulling it tighter as he did so.

"Tie her to the beam!" Donovan ordered once they were finished. A metal pole was brought forth, and the ending loops of the ropes were tied around it, making Geni look like piece of meat on a spit. Three of the Guards carefully raised her, and one Guard used their power to hold her aloft as they carried her towards the canyon. At the base of the arm of wood, the metal rod slid into a track running along the base of it. One Guard carefully climbed a small staircase along where the arm of wood was attached to the platform, quickly coming above where Geni dangled over the last few feet of platform. Once there, the Guards switched and the higher Guard stood and began to walk the length of the arm and out into the canyon, using their magic to pull Geni along underneath them.

She was lucky enough that the kind Guards who had brought her here were one of the ones assisting her to her final destination. The ropes did not cut into her in the slightest, although she began to feel queasy once the brown of the wood was replaced with the infinite darkness of the canyon below her. Geni closed her eyes, waiting.

"Your highness," the female Guard above her said softly as they proceeded. "Is there nothing we can do?"

Geni smiled, her eyes still closed. "Not we, no."

"Then –?"

"Shortly."

The Guard smiled. "I will inform the others then."

"Thank you."

"Please be safe though, your highness. We will wait for your return."

"I will try. Could you please keep an eye on Prince Keldar, though? For his own sake."

"We will do so." It was at this point that the Guard and Geni reached the end of the arm. "I will have to secure you now, your highness. Please do not die."

"I won't – not that easily," Geni reassured her. By now the wind had picked up around them, swaying her from side to side.

"I must return. Good luck." And with that, the feeling of weightlessness vanished. The ropes immediately began to cut into Geni's throat, pulling her wrists upward from behind her and straining her shoulders, her middle section making her feel as if she were being cut in two, and her ankles pulling the rest up behind her. She choked and coughed, panicking for a moment before she began to send her magic towards each point, just enough to keep her aloft without losing consciousness. She felt the wood vibrate with each of the Guard's retreating footsteps. Even so, she was hopeful – she knew her friends would make it in time to save her…wouldn't they?

"Are…we…there…yet?!" Sora called out in front of him. His back was plastered to the metal wall at the back of the cockpit, Kairi literally in his lap pushing him in even farther. They were currently going as fast as the _Strahl_ could manage without breaking to pieces, as far as Fran had told them. They streaked across the night sky like a shooting star, heading for the Infinite Canyon. In this way they had already been flying for at least a half an hour.

"I don't…feel so…good fellers," Goofy started to say. He was looking a bit green by this time, as were a few others/

"We'll be there in no time," Balthier called back with a cocky laugh. "Ha ha! I can't remember the last time I had this much fun!"

"Balthier, the canyon," Fran suddenly said. "It is ten miles directly in front of us."

"Alright! Let's turn her down then," Balthier said, reaching up and pulling a lever down close to his head. Immediately the Strahl began to slow, the enormous G-force suddenly allowing the passengers rooted to the floor and their seats more movement than they had in the past thirty minutes. Goofy immediately dashed out of the cabin, a hand over his mouth.

Riku helped King Mickey to stand, as they had been squished together like Kairi and Sora had. "How much farther now?" he immediately asked.

"Only a few minutes. Prep yourselves for battle. We'll bring the _Strahl_above the blokes and surprise them out of thin air. If we're lucky they should have already started and Geni is only waiting to be plucked up."

"How will we get to her then? You said they're normally bound up," Sora asked, his knees a little weak as he stood up with Kairi.

"Since we can't get the _Strahl_ in that close without the chance of her falling due to the wind we'll create, one of you will have to go out and get her."

"I'll do it," Riku instantly volunteered.

"We'll cover you," Sora told him.

"Up we go!" Balthier cried as the _Strahl_ began to ascend high into the clouds. "Get to the hatch; you'll have to jump out when we get there. Fran and I will put some rounds into their ships so they can't follow us, so by the time everyone is set and collected we can set down temporarily to pick you all up."

"Right. We'll be waiting. Let's go Sora!" Riku said, dashing out of the cockpit.

"Riku," Fran called back. The tall Keyblader halted. "Take the first aid kit with you – you might need it."

Riku bit his lip. "I will." He turned and headed down to the bottom of the ship, following just behind Sora and Kairi.

Balthier looked at his partner out of the corner of his eye. "Is she that bad Fran?"

The Viera was silent.

Sora, on the other hand, could feel his twin's presence coming ever closer to them. He occasionally checked on the crystal, noting that although the pulses were coming at longer and longer intervals, it was still as constant as ever. "Almost there," he whispered to himself. The trio made it to the bottom of the stairs and came to rest at the outside hatch. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were already waiting for them. "Let's do this!" Sora said, flicking his hand out to have Oathbreaker appear in it. Riku did the same with The Way To The Dawn, and Kairi with Sunset Blossom, King Mickey with his Kingdom Key, Donald with his magic wand, and finally Goofy with his large shield. "We'll back you up Riku," he told his best friend. "Bring Geni back for us."

"Will do," he promised. His heart constricted slightly, thinking of the one he loved dangling out over an endless precipice. _Please be okay Geni_, he thought. Suddenly, Fran's voice came on over the intercom system in the ship.

"We're heading straight for them now. Be ready to jump in 20 seconds!" Suddenly the ship turned on a sharp angle, and the group felt its speed increase dramatically. They held on tightly to framework of the ship until it suddenly began to ease. However, that was at the point where loud booms began to sound from outside of the ship. Fran's voice came on the loudspeaker once more. "We're taking out the lights on the platform first. Open the door and get ready to jump."

"You heard the Viera," Sora said with a smile to Riku.

"Right." The two of them stepped forward. Riku lifted the latch, and then he and Sora pulled with all their strength. The door slowly opened, and a great gust of wind blew into the ship and almost sucked them right out the door. Once the air pressure was equalized, the six of them could see the mayhem below. To their right was an enormous dark canyon that stretched as far as they could see. Stretching out across it was a wooden bridge of some sort. Balthier and Fran had done a good job taking out the lights, but now part of the platform had caught on fire. Guards were running all over the place, especially towards them, but they could see a small group making it ways back towards the airships on the ground.

"Let's go!" Sora said. "Kairi, take my hand!"

"Sora!" she cried, rushing forward and grabbing his arm. Immediately the two of them jumped out of the _Strahl_; Sora used Glide to slowly bring them closer and closer to the ground. As they neared it, they began to hear the Guards shouting.

"Put out the fire!"

"Get His Excellency to safety!"

"It's the _Strahl!_ The sky pirates are here!"

"The outsiders have come to get the prisoner – they must be stopped at all costs!"

"Where's his highness?!"

Sora aimed to set down in the middle of the smoke coming away from the platform. Looking behind him, he saw Riku, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey all gliding towards him and Kairi. "Riku!" Sora shouted, pointing towards the edge of the canyon.

Riku understood. "Right!" He angled towards the edge of the smoke screen, while the rest of the group angled a slight distance away from him to keep the rest of the Guards from stopping them.

"Blizzaga!" Donald suddenly shouted from behind them. A stream of ice crystals shot past Sora and Kairi and embedded themselves into the ground, providing a makeshift barrier between them and the Guards as they landed. Touching the earth, weapons were immediately at the ready.

Riku took off towards the platform, crying "I'm leaving these guys to you!"

"Will do!" Sora shouted, crouching into an attack position. It was at that moment that the first giant shard cracked, and a dozen or so Guards rushed through the smoke. "Ah!" Sora shouted his battle cry, rushing forward. He met a Guard with a sword head on, locking blades. He began to hear the sounds of battle all around them, including the firing of the _Strahl_'s main cannons as it aimed at the other ships.

Riku raced towards the platform, the smoke stinging his eyes. He knocked out one Guard with one fell swoop of his Keyblade, causing them to fall over the edge of the platform to the ground below. "Sorry!" he called back. Looking left and right, he saw only one other Guard stationed at the beginning of the wooden arm. He ran towards them, his Keyblade swinging. However, as the wind shifted directions and covered him once more, the Guard surprisingly stepped out of the way. He was confused, to say the least.

"She's at the end of this structure; her hands and feet are tied together, and the ropes holding her up are at her neck, hands, waist, and ankles. Hurry!" the female voice of the Guard told him frantically. "She can't keep herself up for much longer, if she hasn't stopped already!"

"Why are you doing this?" Riku asked her cautiously, staying a safe distance away from her.

"Because I, like many others, know that she is innocent. I am not letting the blood of an innocent girl be on my hands while that monster is free to rule the Realm. Now, please hurry and save the princess!"

Riku paused, but nodded. "You can count on me."

"Use the stairs," she said, pointing. "I'll knock myself out with a quick sleep spell. Now hurry!" She was already casting the spell as Riku bolted to his right. Running up the spiral staircase, he arrived at the top of the wooden contraption. He looked out into the darkness of the canyon, the light from the fires behind him not providing him with much to go by. Carefully, he began to step by step head out over the canyon. The arm swayed in the wind, but it was sturdy enough to hold him. Taking a chance, he began walking faster and faster. His eyes searched for the end of the arm; he didn't want to fall off and go flying past Geni. Just as his gaze swept back over the arm, he suddenly saw the end of the wooden arm and a huddled figure. Something sharp flashed in the light, and Riku's eyes went wide. "No!" he shouted, sprinting forward.

The figure looked up in surprise, his own Keyblade springing forth in his hand. The two of them meet in a clash of steel, trying to force each other back.

"I won't let you!" Riku snarled. He was unable to see any distinguishing features on the person he was fighting – by now it was pitch black over the canyon.

"I've had enough! I want to do what is right for once!" the figure snarled right back at him, the voice perceptibly male.

"And you think that by doing this you are?"

"Of course! I have to redeem myself somehow!"

"By killing an innocent girl?! Even though this life may have been forced on her, she still wants to do good!"

"Killing…?" the figure replied, confused. "I'm not trying to kill her."

Riku stopped pushing his Keyblade against the figure. "Wait…you're not?"

"No – I _was_ trying to cut the ropes and bring her up here. Her magic –" the figure suddenly cut off. "_Locārthú_! Her magic had stopped!" The figure reabsorbed their Keyblade and ran back to the edge, leaning down over it.

Riku was unsure of what was going on, but apparently this person was trying to save Geni, not make her fall to her death. He ran forward as well, reabsorbing his Keyblade back into his body. "How is she? What can I do?" he asked him as he knelt down next to him.

"Wait a second," the figure grunted. Suddenly the outline of a body was illuminated below them. "Okay, I've got her. She's in pretty bad shape – I'm surprised her magic lasted as long as it did. I cut through the rope around her neck, so at least she was getting oxygen. You have to hang on to one of the beams here and swing over and cut the rest of the ropes."

"What?!" Riku cried.

"I'm only going to be able to hold her weight for so long…when you cut the last rope, tell me because I'll have to support both of you then while you get her up here. Got it?"

"Just one question," Riku said, already leaning over the edge of the farthest beam and securing his legs around it. "Who are you?"

The figure chuckled. "I suppose the last time we met it was under much worse conditions. I'll give you a hint: you don't like me all that much."

Riku almost fell off the wooden beam. "Keldar?! What are you doing out here? Weren't you all for this?"

Keldar shook his head in the darkness, and then remembered. "Not at first. I realized after speaking to her just before this that she couldn't have done any of it because of the message she left for me."

"What message?" Riku asked slowly as he swung downwards.

"You'll need this," Keldar told him, passing a sharp blade through the beams. "And it was the way she arranged Lirona's body when she died. She gave her the warrior's rest, which is the ultimate honor here in the Realm. I knew a murderer wouldn't have given her such an honor, so it always made me wonder. I couldn't ask her right away because you all ran away from the capital and to Bhujerba instead."

Riku had his legs wrapped around the beam above him tightly, and began working on the rope wrapped around Geni's feet to even out the pressure. "It's not like we had a choice," he told him. "Geni was the one to force us out of there when Donovan summoned the Guards. She even knocked out her friend Elwen to keep her from being incriminated with her."

"How is she doing?" Keldar interrupted him.

Riku leaned down as far as he could. He could barely hear over the wind, but he thought he heard some raspy noises coming from the still form. Quickly getting back to cutting the rope, he called up, "She's still breathing, but it doesn't sound very good." _Snap!_ "One down, two more to go!" he called up.

"Good – we had best be quick about this."

Back on land, Sora and company were doing their best to fend off the Guards. Although Riku had found the one Guard still on their side, little did the rest know that it was the same with at least half of the Guards or more that they were fighting. These were the easiest Guards to take down; they just didn't fight well and were defeated easily, getting knocked out or knocking themselves out with a sleep spell like the other had. On the other hand, the Guards still loyal to Donovan fought their hardest against the intruders. Balthier and Fran kept up the barrage from the _Strahl_, effectively knocking out most of the main weapons and engines of the airships from the royal fleet.

Aboard the flagship, Donovan stood safely in the bridge, watching the chaos with interest. "Has there been any report of his highness yet?" he asked in a mockingly concerned voice.

"Not yet sir," one of the crewmen replied. "We are still searching the battlefield for signs of him. With the smoke and heat, we cannot distinguish our forces from those of the sky pirates."

"Keep looking. Also, I want to see what is going on with our prisoner. Has she dropped into the canyon yet?" he asked.

"One moment sir," a female crew person told him. Much clicking and clacking of keys resulted, and within a few seconds she replied. "I cannot tell sir. Shall I put it on the large monitor?"

"Do so," Donovan commanded. Almost immediately the view of the battlefield disappeared from sight, and in its place was a picture of complete darkness. "I cannot _see_ anything," he responded with impatience in his voice.

"One moment sir. Switching to night vision." Again the screen changed, this time a tinge of green covering it. This time the wooden beams of the execution contraption came into view. The woman began to zoom in on the farthest side of the arm, looking for her target. "I'll clean up the picture, and then we should be able to tell if she is still there," she told him.

"Excellent," Donovan told her. His anticipation grew as he watched the monitor, the fuzzy green picture slowly coming into a clear focus. As soon as it did… "What is the meaning of this?!" he shouted out indignantly.

Not one, but three figures were upon the wooden arm. The telltale body of something hanging below, one figure huddled over the top, and another hanging out over the side of it. "Who are they?!"

"I'm sorry sir, but I cannot clarify the image anymore so," she told him apologetically.

"It doesn't matter! I want that thing fired on now! Blow it away into the canyon!"

"But sir –"

"NO! Destroy it!" Donovan demanded with an immature shout, pounding his cane on the floor.

"Yes sir!" came several rushed replies as the main weapons of the royal flagship came online.

"Preparing to fire main cannon. All systems in standby mode switch to active targeting," the woman said.

The man sitting next to her agreed. "All systems now in active mode. Target is locking on, power is being diverted from the engines to the main cannon."

"Main weapon will commence firing in 15 seconds. 14…13…12…"

Aboard the _Strahl_, Fran noticed the change in power on the _Twilight_. "Balthier, we have a problem," she told him.

"What?" he said sharply, turning the ship around for another go. "I'm stalling as best I can here."

"Aim for the _Twilight_– she is about to fire her main weapon at Geni and Riku."

"What?! What about all of their people on the ground?! They're too close for that kind of power!" Balthier swooped down and began firing madly at the _Twilight_, doing his best to take out their engines and power sources. Even so, a large cylinder began to emerge from the front half of the ship, the barrel beginning to glow a sinister red. "We won't make it in time!" he shouted in frustration.

On the ground, several Guards and the defensive team noticed this change in the ship as well. "What are they doing?" Sora cried, looking in alarm at the barrel of the enormous cannon pointed at them.

"They're firing the main cannon! Retreat, retreat!" one of the Guards began to shout. All eyes in the area turned towards the ship. Immediately the force of Guards began to run back towards their respective ships, running as far as they could from the destructive weapon.

"What are they firing at?" Kairi shouted to Sora as she came running.

"I don't know!" Sora told her as he looked around. Suddenly, he saw the cannon correct itself and point towards a position behind him. His eyes widened in fear as well as realization. "They're firing on Geni and Riku!"

"What?!" King Mickey said, joining the party. "We have to help them!"

"But your majesty, we'll be fried to!" Goofy said, holding the small king back. "We have to tell them some other way!"

"Goofy. Let…me…go!" the small king cried, trying to get out of his friends grasp.

Sora looked at the ship, and then into the darkness where he knew that Geni and Riku were. Suddenly he had an idea. Sora grabbed his crystal and focused all of himself on one message: _The ship is firing! Get out of the way!_

Back on the wooden arm of the execution device, Geni's eyes suddenly opened and she managed to croak out a few words. "Ship…firing…get…out of…way…" she managed, her throat dry and cracked, before she slipped back into oblivious unconsciousness.

However, the two young men trying to help her heard her message loud and clear. "The ship's firing on us?!" Riku said, immediately trying to cut through the last rope faster.

"Why?! And how does she know that?" Keldar demanded, looking back. "All of the Guards are still down there!" He looked back to Riku. "We have to finish – now!"

"I know, I know!" Riku's blade moved like a saw through the last small piece of rope. "Almost there!"

"7…6…5…4…" the woman counted down.

"Main cannon at full power!" the main called out next to her.

"…3…2…1…"

"FIRE!" Donovan screeched at them.

"Firing main cannon!" the woman affirmed, pressing the final red button.

Outside a bright light suddenly engulfed the front of the _Twilight_, blinding all who looked into it. "Get down!" Sora screamed, pulling Kairi down next to him. Goofy hit the dirt with King Mickey, while Donald covered his eyes next to him.

Keldar and Riku looked up, just as Riku cut the last piece of rope, each of them holding one to keep Geni from falling into the canyon. "It'll hit us!" Riku said.

"Then we'll have to jump!" Keldar told him. "It's the only way to avoid it!"

"But they said this thing is bottomless – we don't know how far we'll fall! And I don't know about you, but I can't fly – only glide!"

"Neither can I," Keldar told him with a smirk. "But do you have any better ideas?" The roaring behind them suddenly grew deafening as a beam of bright white light suddenly flew towards them, illuminating the canyon in an angelic glow. "We'll figure it out later – go!" Keldar pushed Riku off the edge, quickly jumping off behind him.

As the beam hit the wooden platform, the resulting explosion sent sonic booms racing throughout the area, knocking everything and everyone around. Trees were pushed to a horizontal angle; those still running away were picked up by the winds and blown at hurricane forces towards their destinations. Those wise enough to glue themselves to the ground were a little luckier. Sora and the others felt the heat of the blast prickle their skin as if flew straight over them and disintegrated the platform. After a minute or so, as soon as Sora could look up, he saw to his utter horror that the entire wooden construction was in flames, and that the wooden arm was gone…fallen into the canyon. "Geni! Riku!" he screamed again, standing up to run towards it.

"Sora, wait!" Kairi yelled after him, stumbling to her feet to follow.

As Sora ran towards the flames, he searched fervently for any signs that Riku and his sister were not on it when it was hit, calling their names over and over again. As he did so, more of the structure collapsed in a fiery heap into the canyon. Unable to see his friends or even what might remain of them in the midst of the fire and chaos, Sora fell to his knees at the jagged edge of the canyon and wept in a loud voice.

"RIKU! GENI!"


	34. Malady After Malady

Chapter 33

Geni fell first, the ends of the ropes trailing after her like another braid of hair. Luckily she was still unconscious, and so could not feel the wind rushing past her as she fell like a sack full of lead straight down into the darkness of the canyon. Keldar and Riku came rushing down behind her, hastening to catch up with her as the destructive beam of light hit the contraption just behind them. An earsplitting _boom _was heard as Riku and Keldar were reaching out for Geni. They were knocked sideways by the resulting explosions and spun around so much that they lost track of her. "Geni!" Riku shouted fretfully, searching for her in the illumination of the cannon's aftermath once he had righted himself in his freefall.

Keldar tried to use his magic to sense her out, but he couldn't find any traces of her, probably because of the interference the explosions had wrought. "Geni, answer us!" he called out along with Riku as they fell. He looked over to see Riku plummeting along with him not ten feet away. "Do you see her?" he called over frantically.

"No! Where is she?" Riku called back. They had been falling for many seconds now, at least hundreds of feet or more down into the canyon.

An inhuman bellow sudden met their ears, forcing themselves to cover them. Riku blinked once, and felt an enormous surge of air rush past him and down further into the canyon. Upon opening his eyes, he noticed that the light from the explosion was receding high above them and that the darkness was once again overtaking the canyon. But before it did, an enormous creature bellowed once more, and the canyon was illuminated by a rush of flame from its mouth. Its massive wingspan covered at least half of the distance between the two walls of the canyon, its arms, legs, and neck half the size of its body.

Keldar blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. He laughed, forcing himself to go faster. Riku heard his laugh, and questioned him. "What's so funny?"

Keldar looked at him, for once a joyous expression on his face; it was so unusual for him, Riku had to look twice. "I would know that bellow anywhere. It's Talyn!"

"Talyn?!" Riku blanched for a moment. _Where have I heard that before?_ he thought to himself. Just then, it hit him: a conversation with Sora after they had returned to the islands, while the four of them had been hanging out on their play island. Kairi and Geni had been out splashing in the waves, while the two boys rested on the beach under an umbrella watching them.

"_Dragon?" Riku asked him, surprised. "No, she hasn't mentioned one to me at least."_

"_Yeah! She had a picture of her and it on a table in her room at the castle. She told me about it when we had gone there the first time after we had woken up."_

"_Really," Riku said, turning his gaze towards the ocean. He watched Geni as she laughed when Kairi splashed water at her, watching as she spun around. Time seemed to slow down; the water droplets catching the rays of the sun, her spiky hair framing her face as her smile lit up the afternoon. "What did she say about it?"_

"_Only that she had tried raising it from an egg at the castle, but Queen Minnie had found out shortly after it hatched and tried burning down the whole castle when it learned to breathe fire. Geni said it was teething at the time." He laughed._

"_A teething dragon? Sounds dangerous," Riku replied, laughing along with his best friend._

"_Yeah, but it was a cool dragon too. It was shiny like an emerald and violet rainbow, and had scales all over it. Its wings were pretty small yet, but its claws were as long as my fingers already! She said its name was –"_

"Talyn!" Riku suddenly remembered. "The dragon hatchling she tried to raise at the Disney Castle! That's her?!"

"I believe so," Keldar shouted back. "There aren't any dragons in the Realm naturally. I wonder how she got here?"

Hundreds of feet below them, the great hulking beast known as Talyn swooped down in the darkness to catch her prey. The slits of her eyes cast about in the darkness, but she could see as if everything were illuminated by an enormous sun. Directly in front of her and slightly below, she saw a bundle with ropes hanging off of it continuously falling. _::Lady!::_

Talyn dove towards her and within seconds was underneath the limp body, falling at the same rate. The female dragon reached her neck up towards the girl – at the same time lowering her neck spikes, and with a practiced skill caught her, rolling her gently down her neck and into the cradle between her shoulder blades. She felt the small body come to a rest against her scales. Keeping her neck spikes lowered, she quickly maneuvered around and went back for the other two humans who had stupidly fallen along with her.

Keldar, relieved to know that Talyn would catch Geni without fail, turned towards his own predicament. "We have to slow our descent!" he shouted towards Riku, the wind deafening as it rushed passed his ears.

"What? What about Geni?" Riku shouted back.

"Talyn's got her. Now we have to worry about ourselves – start gliding if you can. I'll use Aeroga to buffer the wind beneath us." Keldar pushed his arm out in front of him, the wind trying to snap it back at him. Riku immediately went into a glide, working his way towards Keldar. Suddenly, a tornado of wind appeared beneath them as Keldar's arm glowed white, the vortex encircling them and slowing them slightly. Riku felt odd to be working with the one person who had caused him so much pain and trouble, as well as Geni. He shook his head; he would work out all of that later. Right now Geni needed them to survive.

Below them in the darkness, Talyn swooped up from below directly under the two teens. She roared to them, startling them sufficiently enough to get their attention. In Keldar's surprise his wind spell failed, and that was at the point the female dragon plucked them out of midair and held the two tightly in her fore claws.

Riku panicked slightly for a moment, the scales scratching at him and the claws tightening around him. "Stay still!" a shout from his right commanded him. "You'll only hurt yourself. Talyn won't squish you."

"If you say so," he called back, settling in for the ride. Talyn seemed to know where she was going; at least…it appeared that way. They did not ascend upwards but instead continued on inside of the pitch black darkness of the canyon, the only sounds being the steady beat of Talyn's wings and the wind rushing past Riku's ears.

As they flew, Riku's mind began to wander. He first thought about Geni's whereabouts; Talyn had to know she was safe if she was flying away from the catastrophe behind them. Secondly, he thought about Sora and Kairi and the others whom he had left behind. Did they know if they were alright? What if they thought they had died? He decided that he had to somehow get a message to them as soon as he was able to; maybe he could ask Talyn for some help. But...did dragons speak? She hadn't said anything to them, but she seemed extremely intelligent.

A sudden slowing motion startled Riku out of his thoughts – Talyn was banking her wings, slowing her speed within the canyon and going into a glide. As her wings drifted over the air beneath her, Riku searched around for their destination as best he could. It was still pitch black inside of the canyon, depending on how far down they were; he still could not see anything. It was at this point that Talyn suddenly released the two of them, allowing them to fall blindly in the darkness.

Riku cried out, surprised. He was happy to hear a slightly higher pitched scream come from his right, knowing Keldar was still alive. However, Talyn knew what she was doing, for in less than a second he hit the ground beneath him, a solid flat surface that wouldn't move. Riku stayed still for a moment, loving the ground and its solidity. As he stood he felt a large _thump_ and heard several claws scraping along the ground announcing Talyn's landing. "Keldar? Talyn?" Riku called out. "Anyone there?"

"Over here," a male voice announced slightly to his right. "One second." He heard Keldar mumble a few inaudible words, and then a bright light flared into existence. Riku covered his eyes, unused to the bright light. As it came closer, he blinked a few times to alleviate his dilating pupils. "You okay?" Keldar asked him, coming to stand next to him.

"Fine," Riku answered abruptly, suddenly remembering who he was speaking to. "Where's Geni?"

A snort from in front of them grabbed their attention. Keldar shifted the fireball in his hand, and suddenly an enormous dragon, larger that a small house loomed into view. The slits of its eyes were staring at them, smoke rising from its nostrils. Talyn's scales did gleam emerald and violet even in that small amount of light; most of its body was the violet color, with her neck spikes and edges of her wings in the brilliant shade of green. She huffed at them again, swinging her neck around before she started to waddle off ahead of them.

"I think she wants us to follow her," Keldar stated.

"Thank you captain obvious," Riku said sarcastically.

"Now listen here," Keldar said, chest puffing up arrogantly. "You –"

An enormous piece of dragon flesh sliced down in between them, sufficiently knocking both teens to the ground none to gracefully and knocking the light out in Keldar's hand, bringing the area around them back into pitch blackness. A snarl brought their attention upwards in the darkness, Talyn's enormous teeth glowing pearly white even in the deep darkness. Ever so carefully Keldar constructed another light, brightening the area around them. Talyn stared at each one of the boys, sizing them up in turn. Puffing out a great stream of smoke from her nostrils, she snarled at them once before resuming her gait.

Each boy looked at the other, before looking back at Talyn. "We should probably follow her," Riku said, grimacing as he made the first allowance.

"Yeah," Keldar replied, standing up and brushing himself off. A low snarl from the receding shadow in front of them made the two quickly stride after the large dragon.

The trio, and unknowingly quartet, walked in silence for a moment until Keldar's light shone upon an enormous entrance to a cave within the Infinite Canyon. The stone was just as dark as the rest of the canyon, consuming the light as soon as it touched it. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like giant teeth; giving the feeling they were entering a humongous mouth. Continuing in silence, Talyn led the way for another few minutes or so until her abrupt halt caused the males to run into her tail.

"What?" Keldar immediately asked her. He saw Talyn extend her head forward into the darkness. Nodding, Keldar added some power to his fire, brightening the sphere, until the entire chamber was lit. The cave was actually very shallow, and they were at the very back of it. It was curved and smooth, like there had been water running through it thousands of years ago. "Here? We'll stay here?" he asked her, stepping forward.

Suddenly Talyn whipped her head around, snapping her great mouth at him as he approached her. "Whoa!" he cried, jumping backwards. "What's wrong?"

"Talyn?" Riku questioned the female dragon. Taking a cautious step forward, he eyed Keldar behind him. "What's wrong?"

Talyn visibly calmed, but only slightly. The slits of her eyes narrowed at the two of them, before she – reluctantly – turned her head and poked her nose at a spot on her back. Suddenly, a soft but audible moan was heard from between her shoulder blades.

"Geni!"

"Genevieve!"

The two boys rushed towards Talyn's side, watching as the dragon ever so carefully picked up the fragile body between her great maws. Riku and Keldar watched as Talyn gently placed Geni on the floor of the cave, her rope bindings trailing alongside her.

"Geni!" Riku shouted, thankful and worried at the same time. He ran forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. He froze, feeling a sticky wetness coat his fingers. "Geni…?" he said timidly as he carefully rolled her onto her back, even though her hands were still tied behind her. "Ge-oh hell," he swore, livid.

"How bad is she?" Keldar spoke softly, coming forward to illuminate the scene better, knowing full well what awaited him.

"You the hell tell me!" Riku screamed at him in bitter anger.

In the light the princess's wounds became completely apparent, except for those internal. Her clothes were torn, shredded, and bloodied; she was missing her sandals and her left foot was sticking out at an odd angle to the rest of her leg. She had sticky red cuts all up and down her legs, as high as her waist – the panels of embroidery were gone, severed stitching all that remained. A large piece of missing fabric on her top showed the bruising of her rib cage, and the possible broken ribs within. Her right forearm seemed to want to go in different directions, where it had been snapped in two. Her Guards held no trepidation or shame when torturing her; the slashes to her skin and clothes had been well placed – Riku blushed when he noticed just where. All over where skin was visible were the cuts where the brutal knife cut into her and the accompanying bruises when the blade wasn't enough. Geni's face had several long trails of blood running across it, one from where the Guard had continuously pounded her head into the floors and walls, one from where her nose had been broken until Keldar healed her, and the other from the corner of her mouth – a most likely indication of internal bleeding. Her shallow, raspy breathing was another. At least one purple and puffy eye was already swelling shut on the left side of her face.

"Geni," Riku said, anger boiling up inside of him. Calmly and methodically he pulled out the two small kits he had stored in his large pockets; each contained half of a first aid kit, and he would need all of it. Placing each box on the cave floor, he also brought out the knife that Keldar had loaned him to cut her bonds in the first place. Ever so gently, he began to cut the pieces of rope off of her. One by one, her hands were loosed so she could lay flat on the stone, followed by her feet, and the rest of the rope. Riku laid the bloodied fibers in a heap to use for tinder later. Once she lay flat on the stone finally, Riku began to clean the rest of her wounds.

Keldar watched in silence as Riku began. He bit his lip, moving slightly closer so more light could shine upon the two of them. "Can't you do anything else?" Riku muttered darkly to him.

"Right away," Keldar said softly, kneeling down on the other side of Geni. He had the ball of light hover above them, casting their shadows against the walls of the cave. Placing his hands over the air above her, he surrounded Geni in a pale green light. "Besides the cuts and bruises, she has two broken ribs, a fractured ankle, a split forearm, a moderate concussion, and slight internal bleeding."

"What hospitality," Riku snapped at him, his hands using a cloth dabbed with disinfectant to clean the blood off of her arms.

"It was the Guards under Donovan," Keldar said, glancing away. "I…I should have stopped them…"

"Damn right you should have!" Riku hissed. "What were you thinking?! Are you just that stupid? This whole time the only thing Geni has been worried about besides making wrongs right was that Donovan would hurt you next after she was gone. She even went so far as to sacrifice herself in your place, so you could see how evil he is. And for what?" The medical supplies were forgotten as Riku leaned over the still form and bunched Keldar's shirt in his fists. "So you could betray her and get her killed?!"

Keldar remained silent. He deserved this, he knew.

Riku stared into the face of his number one opponent, in many ways. He unclenched his fingers, leaning back down to his knees. "No matter how much I want to beat you to a pulp, helping Geni comes first. Can you do something about the broken bones and internal injuries? I'm not competent in such advanced healing spells."

"…do you really want me to?"

"Do you want Geni to die?"

"…"

"Well, do you?"

"…I'll do my best."

"Damn straight you will – hurry up."

For the next hour Talyn watched in amusement as the two human males worked their hardest to assist Geni, washing the blood off her arms and legs, disinfecting the cuts and bandaging them and setting and fixing the broken bones so Keldar could heal them with his magic. He used some of his magic to piece the major portions of her clothes back together as well, to save them all from later embarrassment. He also assisted Riku in wrapping her ankle, arm, and torso to keep the bones from moving once he had set and healed most of them. If one had known how much they disliked each other, their teamwork and efficiency would have proved them wrong.

"Whew," Riku said, wiping a bead of sweat off his brow with the back of his arm. "Is that all of it?"

Keldar concentrated his magic, covering Geni in one last green bubble. "The bleeding has stopped, inside and out. She just needs time for her own magic to recharge itself and it will begin to heal at an ever faster rate. Right now she just needs to rest." Said girl had her left foot, right arm, and forehead bandaged, as well as smaller patches all over her body. She looked just like a miniature mummy lying in wait to be entombed.

"Right," Riku said, noticing that their light was beginning to diminish. "Let's see if we can collect some tinder to make a fire with. Talyn, could you look after Geni?" he called up to the dragon as he slowly stood.

A bob of the dragon's head affirmed her answer, and she shuffled closer to the girl. Lying down, Talyn wound herself like a cat around the injured girl, her soft underbelly radiating heat and warmth. She closed off the circle with her head and tail, laying it upon the ground as she blinked at the two of them. Even so, she could still look each of them in the eye.

"Thank you, Talyn," Keldar told her sincerely. "I never told you before, but thank you for saving all of us."

She gave a snort, blinking. Turning her head away, she settled in to keep her injured friend warm.

Keldar and Riku were silent, each watching Geni's chest rise up and down shakily, the shallow breaths entering and exiting her frail body. They kept their thoughts to themselves as then went about creating a makeshift haven for themselves; as Riku had said, they began to walk around and collecting whatever rubbish had made its way down into the cave. There was a surprising amount of brush and leaves, but nothing substantial other than a few larger branches that had fallen in – besides the leftover rope. The two boys worked in silence as they piled some of their findings up near Talyn, and lit a small fire mainly for the purpose of light. It was not very cold in the cave, but Talyn generated a large amount of body heat anyway.

The next order of business was to find something to eat; or, at least that was what Riku's stomach was telling him as it suddenly growled loudly. "Sorry," he muttered into the dim firelight as the two of them sat there staring into it.

"It's not your fault," Keldar told him. He reached behind him and into a small pouch hidden underneath the panel of red embroidery. He pulled something out and tossed it over. "It's not much, but it'll help for now until we get out of here."

Riku caught the small object easily. Looking at the wrapper, it was a simple granola bar. "…thanks," he told him, unwrapping the small gift. Keldar pulled out another for himself and began to eat. The two ate in silence, the only sounds coming from the crackling of the small fire, Talyn's occasional gusty breaths, and Geni's softer but hoarser gasps.

"Riku."

Riku looked up at Keldar, who was staring intently into the fire. "What?"

"What exactly is your relationship with her?"

He blinked in surprise. _This again?_ "Why do you want to know?" Riku asked warily.

Keldar sighed. "Has she ever told you about the two of us? Our history together?"

"Only a little," Riku admitted. "She said that you saved her life when she was little."

He nodded. "That's true, to a point. At least, that is when we first met face to face. Genevieve and Queen Minnie came here when she was about 3 years old. Queen Hisako first presented her before the Imperial Council not long after that, and her wish to enroll her in the school system here. Obviously many people were opposed to the idea, especially my father. At the time he was one of the head commanders of the Defense Assembly along with Donovan; he was one of the most powerful fighters in the Realm as well. Suffice to say, he along with many other higher class families pulled their children out of the school where she was to attend, where I was currently attending. The only students remaining were those from lower class and working class families who couldn't afford to take their children out.

It continued as such until the attack on Genevieve. I happened to be walking towards the docks to go home for the day when she ran across the street in front of me and into a dead end alley. I didn't think anything of it, until many of the older students came running the same way. I put two and two together, and decided to see what was going on, at least to tell my father. When I saw them beating her up, I knew it was wrong – even if I didn't really know anything about her except from the prejudice my father had. After that, when we arrived at the Healer's Pavilion and Queen Hisako was summoned, I told her what I had seen as well as the children I could identify who had attacked her. They are their parents were all summoned to a private audience with her. I don't know exactly what happened, but that was the end of it. There weren't any more pranks or attacks on her life after that, but what was worse is that everyone left her alone completely. Not one person talked with her, not even looked in her direction – as if she was invisible.

I don't know how, but slowly she began to make a few friends. The ferry workers, those who worked at the Nurturing, and Elwen, to name a few. As she did, she began to rise to the top of her class, even though she was an outsider and not always there. When she graduated from the elementary grade classes one year early, people began to take notice of her and her accomplishments, especially in music and magic. I suppose you could say it was also at that point that the Imperial Council began to watch her and what sort of destiny she was carving out for herself. Within a year she was the top of her class at the Academia, soaring through the curriculum, and mastering words and songs of power at an incredible speed.

Then suddenly she disappeared. She went home as usual for some time back at the Disney Castle, but she never returned. Days went by, then weeks, until Queen Minnie finally arrived with the news. Sufficed to say many people were trying to eavesdrop on their private conversation that night. And then Queen Hisako made a formal public announcement to her peers and teachers at the Academia, who then spread it throughout the Realm: Geni had been placed under a spell by Organization XIII, a group of Nobodies from the outside universe, whose ultimate goal was to breach the most sacred of places: Kingdom Hearts."

"Sacred?" Riku interrupted for the first time, masking his questioning tone by throwing another piece of wood on their small fire.

Keldar nodded. "It is the purest place in the known universe, the origin of all hearts. It is not darkness, as the false Heartless Ansem once tried to claim, and it is not full of the negative emotions that the Nobody Xemnas claimed as well. It is full of light and peace; a place where hearts go to heal themselves after their time on this plain is over."

"But what about the darkness? On the other side of the door?" Riku told him. "King Mickey and I traversed that for weeks on end, trying to find the Door To Light again. Even Sora and I ended up there after we fought Xemnas. You mean to tell me that the darkness is separate from Kingdom Hearts? That we actually were never there?"

"Exactly. There are three plains in this universe that we can walk in: the light, the darkness, and the in-between, where The World That Never Was existed. Kingdom Hearts is completely separate from all of that, and lies within a plain of its own. No one can truly enter Kingdom Hearts as a whole being, because only the heart can enter into it and nothing else."

Riku pondered on the new information in silence. _So no matter what, the Heartless Ansem and Xemnas could never have truly achieved their goals in the first place. But wouldn't Geni have known about this too? Then at The World That Never Was – _"Wait. Something doesn't make sense. If that's true, wouldn't Geni have known about all of this?"

"Yes. Why?"

"If she did, then why did she give her heart up to Xemnas in The World That Never Was? If Xemnas couldn't enter Kingdom Hearts anyway, why?"

"Isn't it obvious? She did it to protect all of you," he said, picking at the red embroidery. "Yes, she knew that. If she had told Xemnas that, he would have killed her and all of you anyway. Of course you all ended up battling him and almost got yourselves killed in any case, so it was mostly pointless. She's still a naïve child in some respects," he said, waving his hand about.

Riku bunched up his fist next to him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. She may have been accepted as a member of the Realm in its highest respects, but she isn't perfect. She lets her emotions get the better of her and control her thoughts and actions. It was the same way with running off to Bhujerba after escaping from the capital – the only thing she was focusing on was proving her innocence, nothing more –"

"That's _enough_!" _Thwack!_ Riku had jumped up as Keldar was talking and dashed across the space between them in the blink of an eye and socked him straight across the right side of his face with his fist. Keldar went tumbling head over heels in the dirt. Riku jumped over and sat on top of his middle, effectively pinning him to the ground. He fisted his shirt and stared at him straight in the eye.

"What? Did I say something to offend you?" Keldar sneered. "Genevieve may have bought herself some respect, myself included, but that does not mean that she's perfect by any means!"

"She didn't run away to Bhujerba because of her own selfish reasons! She only thought of sending us home to where it would be safe! She was worried about all of the people she left behind, those who would be in trouble because of her! She was even worried about _you_!" Riku shouted, shaking Keldar up and down, banging his head into the ground. "She knew that both of you may not always see eye to eye, but she knew that you had the best interests of the Realm in mind! She trusted you to make the right decisions, and then you go and end up trying to kill her! I don't understand her…why does she always trust you?! Why did she trust you more than she did us?! She lied to us about everything that had to do with the Realm until the very end…she could still have secrets that she isn't telling us, and you…you…" Riku lowered his shaking fists and his head, allowing his hair to hide the emotions in his face.

"Ri-iku…Keld-dar…sto-op it…" a hoarse voice told them weakly. Both boys turned to see Geni half standing, her weight supported by Talyn's head. The dragon's eyes were shifting worriedly between the girl and the two boys fighting on the ground. She was taking in short, gasping breaths, her face flushed from the effort. "You…you shouldn't…be fighting…" she gasped out, her legs giving out from under her as she began to sag to the ground.

"Geni!" Riku and Keldar both shouted at the same time. Riku jumped off of Keldar and the two of them ran over to Talyn who was whimpering slightly. They both caught Geni and lowered her to the ground as she panted from exhaustion.

"Why did you do that?! You should be resting," Riku said in a worried tone. He put a hand up to her reddened face, and noticed that she was extremely warm. "I think she's got a fever," he told Keldar, moving his hand from her cheek to her forehead.

"She might have an infection in one of the wounds," Keldar said, his hand once again glowing green as he began to check her numerous bandages.

Riku felt the heat radiating through the bandages around Geni's forehead. He looked down to see her blinking slowly up at him; her eyes were dilated and cloudy. "You should be conserving your strength," he told her in a gentle voice.

"You…guys we-ere…fighting…ab-bout me," she stumbled. She closed her eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry…"

"What should you be sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong," Riku told her, grimacing. He looked at Keldar, whose forehead was furrowed as he concentrated. "We shouldn't have been fighting…I'm sorry."

"Riku…where's Sora?" she suddenly asked him. "I-I can't feel him…where's Sora?" Geni said, struggling to look around them. "Sora? Sora!"

"She's confused," Keldar said very quietly. "Her fever is too high. We've got to bring it down now."

"But how? We don't have any ice or cold water or cloths for that matter." Riku held Geni's hand tightly, squeezing it.

"Then we're going to have to improvise," he told him. "You know how to use ice magic, right?"

"Yeah, some. Why?"

"Go make us some miniature icebergs in the corner of the cave away from the wind." Keldar stood up and began to remove the embroidered panels from around his waist.

"What are you doing?" Riku asked him suspiciously as he stood up.

"Making those cloths we need," he said. _Rrrrriiiiipppp!_ Keldar began to tear the beautiful red panels into long strips as he spoke.

Seeing him helping, Riku walked over to a far corner in the darkness of the cave, away from the fires light. He withdrew his Keyblade from his being, The Way To The Dawn shimmering in its element. "Blizzaga!" he said, pointed at a spot on the floor. Suddenly, dozens of large ice crystals sprouted like weeds from the dirt, shimmering in the fire's light from far behind him. Using his Keyblade, Riku knocked one of the tips of the crystals off, shattering it from its counterpart. He reabsorbed his Keyblade, and picked up the large piece of ice off of the floor and walked back towards Keldar and Geni.

"Place it next to the fire so it will melt," Keldar instructed him. Riku complied, and Keldar laid one of the stripes he had ripped apart on top it. As the two boys watched, the ice began to melt and the cloth absorbed the cool water it released. As the fabric finished absorbing as much as it could, Keldar removed it and placed it across the top half of Geni's head.

Geni shivered at the cool touch, but soon her breathing began to relax and not sound as shallow or hoarse. "Feels…good…" she whispered, before slightly deeper and more even breaths took over and she slipped into unconsciousness once again.

"Just rest," Riku told her with a soft smile, moving some of the spikes aside from her forehead.

Keldar watched their exchange with a guarded expression. He looked away, and up at Talyn. "We need to get her to a healer," he told the two of them. "How far away is daybreak?" he asked her. Talyn dipped her nose down by Keldar, allowing him to look straight into her feline like eyes. She blinked four times in succession. "Four hours?" he asked her. She nodded. "That's still a long ways away. And we can't risk letting the royal air force know that we're here. I guess we are going to have to wait until morning before trying to leave."

"We should take turns keeping watch, just in case," Riku suggested. "We have to change the cloth every so often as well."

"True," Keldar conceded. "But since it's fresh, we won't have to for a short while yet. Talyn, would you watch over her while we get some sleep? You can wake me first for an hour or so, and then you can watch," he told Riku. "Is that alright?"

"Fine with me," Riku told him. "But we should move Geni closer to Talyn where she'll be more comfortable."

"Alright." The two boys stood up, Riku carefully picking up Geni under her arms while Keldar lifted her legs. Talyn shifted slightly to expose her warm but soft belly more, and the two boys laid her against it so she could use it as a pillow. Geni settled in with hardly more than a sound and resumed her even breathing. "Please keep her safe Talyn," Riku said as they finished, looking up into the face of the large dragon. "I know that you and Geni go way back – I'm also extremely grateful that you showed up when you did tonight." Talyn snorted a small stream of smoke out of her nostrils and flicked her head to the side, blinking. "You're welcome," Riku said with a small laugh. Smiling, he knelt down within the ring Talyn had once again created with her body, neck, and tail. He began to make himself comfortable on the hard stone floor of the cave, but he suddenly felt a shove on his foot. Looking up, he saw Talyn pushing him farther up onto her side. He nodded, and moved up a little.

As Talyn nuzzled and poked the three small humans until she was sure each was comfortable enough to sleep, she smiled to herself. Even if she could not directly communicate with the two boys, she always knew how to get her point across. _::You are lucky, lady::_ she thought to herself as she checked Geni's breathing and temperature once more. _::These two would do anything for you::_

As the hour passed, Talyn watched over her small flock. Keldar and Riku slept peacefully, while Geni occasionally began whimper in her sleep. Talyn used some of her own enormous stores of magic to supplement the girl's own, recharging her power faster than naturally possible. As promised, once an hour had passed, Talyn began to nudge Keldar to awaken him. He woke promptly, sitting up to look at her with bleary eyes. "Talyn?" he muttered, yawning, and very un-Keldar like.

The female dragon gently nudged him towards Geni. "Oh, right," he said immediately, scooting over towards her. He first checked her temperature; it had lowered slightly, but she was still too warm. Keldar got up and took the warm water soaked cloth and laid it over Talyn's tail to dry, just in case he needed more. As he walked passed the smoldering coals of their fire, he tossed on a few more pieces of the rope for light. Finally, he walked over and with his fist hit the ice to knock another chunk off of the miniature iceberg. Taking it over near the fire, he took another of the strips of cloth and laid it over it to absorb the cool water. After about ten minutes it was ready, and he walked back over to where Geni was sleeping and placed the newly cooled rag on her forehead.

Geni awoke with a start, her eyes flashing around her in confusion. "What…what?" she cried hoarsely.

"Shh, calm down," Keldar told her. He leaned in closer and put both of his hands on either side of her face to focus her attention on him, a trick she had taught him years ago. "Genevieve, look at me. It's me, Keldar. You're safe, don't worry."

Her eyes suddenly focused on his so intently, she blinked. "Keldar?" she whispered.

"Yeah. How are you feeling?"

"…thirsty," she said after a moment's hesitation.

"Oh," Keldar stated. _We don't have any water! And we don't have anything to collect the melting water in from the Blizzaga spell either._ Looking around, he happened to spot the drying rag on Talyn's tail. "Wait a moment," he promised her. Keldar got up and grabbed the rag and quickly ran to their fire and placed it back on the melting piece of ice. It quickly soaked up the cool water, and holding it in the palm of his hands Keldar brought it back to her. "Open up," he commanded.

Geni opened her mouth slowly, and Keldar took the rag and held it over her mouth and squeezed the water from the rag into her mouth. As it trickled it, Geni swallowed it greedily. However she began coughing from the foreign substance to her dry throat which caused pain to blossom in her side where her ribs were broken. She hissed in pain, clutching her side as she continued to cough.

Keldar immediately frowned in worry. His healing spells were not as advanced as hers, but he held his hand out anyway over her ribs and cast a pale green light over her. "You have to take it easy," he admonished her quietly.

"Shut…up," she hissed at him.

Keldar smiled. If she could scold him, she was on the road to recovery. "Do you remember much of what happened?"

She shook her head. "A little. I remember…walking out of the _Twilight_…to the platform, talking…with you, and going out over…the canyon. After that…it's a little…blurry."

"Your friends came to rescue you," he told her softly as he used the rag to dab at her face to remove the sweat caused by her fever. "The _Strahl_ started firing on the _Twilight_ not long after you went out there."

"Fran…Balthier," she murmured, closing her eyes.

Keldar nodded. "Vaan and Penelo were probably there with them. I didn't see your brother or your foster father, but the rest of them must have been keeping away the Guards on the ground for your friend Riku to come and try and rescue you."

"Riku…?" she questioned him, opening her eyes.

"Over there," Keldar pointed with his chin. Geni leaned slightly to her left, and saw the lanky form curled up next to Talyn's side.

She blinked, finally noticing the heat radiating from behind her, and the large legs and tail in her general range of sight. "What…who…?"

"Talyn," he explained with a smile. "She plucked you out of thin air as you fell."

Geni smiled, closing her eyes once more. _Talyn?_

_::Here, my lady::_ a comforting presence spoke, entering and surrounding her mind. Geni reveled in the touch, sinking deep into its comforting sensation. _::How are you feeling?::_

_Like I was hit by a truck,_ she chuckled. _But how…why…I don't understand…how are you here?_

_::I was sent an urgent message by Queen Hisako many days ago, saying that you needed my help. The Elders gave me permission to leave the colony, and sent me here. I arrived at the capital, but you were no where to be found. I located your presence and flew here as fast as I could. Good thing, too::_ she said, chuckling in return – which sounded quite evil to the untrained ear.

_Well, I'm glad you're here…I missed you so much,_ Geni told her, wrapping herself inside Talyn's vast presence within her mind.

_::I have missed you too lady…but next time do not wait until things get this bad to call upon me, yes?::_

_Of course,_ Geni replied. She opened her eyes to find Keldar staring down at her. "What?" she asked him, averting her eyes as she felt a small amount of heat enter her cheeks.

"What did she say?" he asked her.

"Queen Hisako...sent her..." she stumbled out.

Keldar widened his eyes in surprise. "She sent for her? But why? Unless..." he trailed off. "Unless she knew that something was going to happen."

Geni nodded. "Days before...it happened..."

_::Her message was urgent, but she did not give the cause for it::_ Talyn supplied.

"Talyn says...Queen Hisako didn't...say why though..." Geni said, beginning to cough harshly again. She groaned in pain at her side. Keldar frowned, and put some more of his magic into his healing spell.

"Am I helping at all?" he asked her, his brows knitted together in concern.

"It's...better," she told him, clenching her teeth in a smile. "But...you're no...healer."

"Thanks," he grumbled at her.

_::Would he like some help?::_ Geni heard Talyn ask her.

"Talyn wants to know...if you want...some help," she told him with a short laugh.

"But then she'll heal you completely if she does it," he complained to her good naturedly.

"Your pride...will be fine...I think." Suddenly she began to feel a rumbling in her stomach, like someone was beating eggs inside of her. "Uh...Keldar...I think..." she began, just as she felt her cheeks begin to balloon.

"What-oh no!" Keldar said, and immediately tipped her over on her side as whatever she had eaten the night before came tumbling up and out.

At this sudden shout, Riku awoke suddenly and looked around, about to bring out his Keyblade. However, when he turned, he saw Keldar holding Geni up as she continued to heave whatever was left inside of her stomach. "Geni!" he cried in a panic, dashing over but avoiding the steaming mess. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Keldar said, worrying his lip. "She woke up when I changed the cloth on her forehead, and we talked for a minute while I gave her some water to drink, and suddenly this!" Geni continued to heave, but in between breaths she began coughing again as well. "Help me hold her still!" he told Riku.

Riku quickly bent down and took Geni's right side as Keldar held up her left, and allowed the poor girl to heave until all she was doing is dry retching miniscule amounts of fluid, whatever was possibly left inside of her. Her coughing continued as well, but by this time she had started to shiver violently. "I don't...feel...so well..." she murmured to them, before she fell limp in the two boy's arms, her body convulsing involuntarily.

"Geni!" Riku cried her name, shaking her slightly. "Wake up!"

"Genevieve! Talyn, help her!" he shouted, turning to face the dragon.

With a roar, the female dragon bent her long neck forward and pushed gently on Geni's back. Understanding immediately, the two boys moved her away from the mess on the cave floor and turned her on her back. Talyn sucked in a huge breath and spit out not the burning hot red fire from before but a green fire that was cool to the touch as it spilled out over Geni and slightly onto Keldar and Riku. For a straight minute the cave glowed green with Talyn's power, until she finally relinquished the flame and sank down to the stone, out of breath and much magic.

As the green fire subsided, Riku was amazed to see that he could barely see any of the cuts, bruises, or superficial damage left – at least, anything that wasn't covered by the bandages. As well, although Geni was still shivering, her breathing seemed to be much less labored. Her face, as well, was less red and more of her normal pink color too. Carefully Riku approached her, placing his hand on the side of her face. It was slightly warm, but much cooler to the touch than it had been only minutes before. "Her fever's gone way done," he told Keldar with great relief evident in his voice.

"But what happened?" Keldar wondered out loud. "She was fine. Nothing about her indicated that her stomach was upset."

Riku thought about it quietly. At last, he shrugged. "I don't know either. What I do know, however, is that we should forget about being caught right now and get her back to where a real doctor or healer can look at her. Not saying that what you did didn't help," he quickly said, looking up at Talyn. "Thank you, by the way."

Talyn blinked at them while she lay on the ground, taking large breaths.

"Are you alright?" Riku asked, stepping forward towards the enormous creature. "Did you use too much of your magic?"

Talyn sighed a gusty sigh, closing her eyes.

"I think that's a yes," Keldar told him. "The dragon's magic is unpredictable – yes, she healed Geni, but since we don't know the extent of the damage, Talyn healed as much as her power could allow her to."

"Oh," Riku replied, slightly confused but unwilling to say so. He smiled, and walked up to Talyn. "Thank you," he told her, and placed his hand on her snout.

_::You're welcome::_

Riku jumped back, hearing a female voice. "What was that?" he said, startled.

"What was what?" Keldar asked him curiously. "Is she injured?"

Riku shook his head several times, clearing his thoughts. "No, I just placed my hand on her and – and I think she _spoke_ to me."

"What? No way," Keldar said, rushing forward, all other thoughts forgotten. He placed his hand on her snout as well, waited, and then removed it. "You see? Nothing. Dragons are intelligent, but they can only speak with those who they've bonded with; no one else."

Slowly Riku stretched out his hand once more, shakily moving closer to Talyn. Gingerly, he placed his hand once more on her snout.

_::Do not tell him human::_ Talyn told him fiercely _::Pretend ignorance::_

Riku pulled his hand away slowly, unable to comprehend what was going on. "You're-you're right…nothing. I must have been imagining things," he told Keldar.

"It's probably just some leftover magic," Keldar assumed, turning around. "Now, we've got to get Genevieve out of here. Any ideas?"

Riku looked into Talyn's eyes, watching their feline slits blink several times before he answered. "Well…Talyn is the only one who would be able to carry all three of us. We could try climbing out, but I think it would take too long. What about trying to contact the _Strahl_? They might still be in the area."

"And what do you suppose we contact them with? Smoke signals? Fireworks? Anything magic-related or obvious would be picked up by the royal air force as well. But you are right…we have to make contact with the _Strahl_ and get Geni to Fran – she's the most skillful healer besides Geni that I know." He turned towards Talyn. "How are you feeling? Would you be able to get us out of here now?"

Talyn raised her head, moving it up and down.

"Then that settles it. Even though it's still some time before dawn, we have to get her out of here. But how will we find the _Strahl_?" he thought out loud, mostly to himself.

"That, I can answer," Riku told him confidently. He reached down into his pocket to pull out a cord with a large piece of crystal attached to it. "I took it off of her when we were cleaning out her injuries before."

"What is it?" Keldar asked, curious.

"It's a locator crystal – Sora has the other half."

Keldar's face lit up. "That's perfect! It'll lead us straight to them." However, he suddenly frowned. "If that's a locator crystal, why isn't it glowing then?"

"What?" Riku looked closely at the crystal in his hand. He was suddenly mortified to see that it wasn't glowing its normal blue color. "I don't know…it's never done that before. I'm sure it was glowing when I took it off of her."

"Try giving it back," Keldar suggested. Riku nodded, and then knelt down next to Geni's side. He lifted her hand, placing the crystal on her sweaty palm. It laid there, no change whatsoever. "Nothing, it seems. Something must have happened to Sora's then."

"I hope not," Riku murmured to himself. He lifted Geni's head gently and replaced the crystal to its rightful place around her neck. Laying her back down, he turned to Keldar and Talyn. "Talyn, if you can carry all three of us right now, I suggest we had better go and do some scouting."

Nodding, Talyn carefully brought herself to her knees, making a makeshift stair out of her leg.

"Help me carry her up there," Riku told him, bending down. He gently placed his left arm under Geni's neck, and his right under her knees. He stood up, careful not to jostle her. Riku smiled, remembering how light she was. He then frowned, the sudden memory of The World That Never Was swimming in front of his eyes. Shaking it off, he stepped towards Talyn.

Keldar followed next to Riku, hopping up onto Talyn's legs first. Riku carefully and slowly followed after him, allowing him to guide his footsteps. At the top of Talyn's shoulder, he handed Geni off to Keldar, who was already standing in the dip between her two massive wings. They were currently folded down and behind them, waiting to take off.

As Keldar took Geni from Riku's waiting arms, he was surprised at how light she was…as if she was filled with nothing more than air. As he turned, he looked down into her face and watched her sleep, her chest rising and falling every few seconds. Ever so carefully, he laid her down in the very middle, taking the far side to allow Riku to step in so they could be on either side of her.

"How is she?" Riku asked him.

"Just sleeping, for now," he replied. "We're ready back here," he called down to Talyn.

Slowly she stood, her massive bulk once again taking up most of the small cavern. She turned full circle, stepping on and putting out the small fire at the same time and pitching the cave into complete darkness once more. The three small humans rode on her back in silence through the cave, until the sudden onrush of wind indicated that they were once again on the ledge just outside of it.

Riku looked up, peering up into the sky. Ever so faintly, he could detect a small bind of gray between the solid sides of the cave high above them. "We must be really far down," he said, staring at the wonder above him.

"At least one thousand feet or more," Keldar agreed. "We're much farther than I thought."

Talyn roared softly at them, if that was possible, and spread her vast wings to the sides. Riku and Keldar immediately quieted, each pressing closer to the unconscious girl involuntarily. Talyn's muscles bunched up, and with one giant flap of her wings, she took to the air. Except for the loud thud of her wing beats, and the sudden onrush of air to their ears, neither Keldar nor Riku could hear anything in the canyon with them.

Talyn surged her wings up and down, bringing them farther and farther away from the cavern she had discovered. Once she had risen high enough, she glided out over into the canyon to search for a draft of warmer air to rise on. Finding one, she used it to lift herself and her precious cargo higher and higher towards the gray light of predawn high above them.

Riku held on tightly to Talyn's smooth scales, pressing himself down as he felt the wind around him trying to pick him off of her back. As he did, he heard her once again speak to him.

_::Riku, do not speak out loud, just answer me within your own thoughts::_

_Yes?_, he answered her, curious about why he could hear her, and Keldar could not.

_::Because you are bonded to my lady already::_

Riku's eyes widened in surprise, yet he carefully caught his expression. It was still dark enough that he couldn't see more than a few inches in front of his face, but he didn't want to take any chances. _Bonded?_ he asked her.

_::You have a deep connection with her, as do I – something that Keldar does not::_ she affirmed.

_But why?_

Talyn paused, still climbing ever higher towards the open air above the canyon. _::I…do not know – it feels like this canyon…deep and dark::_

_She and I both wield the Keyblades of darkness_, Riku pointed out.

_::That could be, but it feels like more of an emotional attachment – she has it with Keldar, yet not as strongly::_

Riku smirked to himself, pleased. Yet his frown returned a moment later when he remembered that Keldar had a bond with Geni as well, it just wasn't as strong.

_::Do you love her?::_

The question threw Riku for a loop momentarily. He was surprised at the question. _Of course I do! She's the most important person in the entire universe to me!_

_::Which universe?::_ Talyn asked cryptically.

Riku was about to answer when they suddenly pierced through the blackness and into the gloomy gray before dawn. He was relieved to be able to see the outlines of trees and the clouds high in the sky again. He also heard Keldar sigh with relief as well. "Well, now where to?" he asked them quietly. "Back to where this all started?"

"That would be a logical choice – they might be waiting there for us," Keldar nodded to him. "Both sides, however."

"We'll just have to take that chance – Geni needs to be looked at by a regular healer, not three people who can barely use the magic needed to help her. No offense, Talyn," Riku told her, patting the area next to him.

_::None taken::_

"Talyn, can you head back to where we were last night then?" Keldar asked her. "If we follow low along the top of the canyon, we should be able to find it easily – and avoid any unnecessary attention."

_::Will do::_ Talyn pumped her wings up and down once more, relieving herself of her static position over the canyon, and began to make her way towards the quickly lightening sky in front of them. She stayed true, flying low over the canyon to blend in with the dark stone all around them. Wind rushed through Riku and Keldar's hair as they sat protectively on either side of Geni as she sleep unknowingly for her second ride on Talyn in two days. As they flew on, only silence greeted them with the occasional bird call, until they could see a large pillar of smoke rising in the distance.

"Do you think…?" Riku began softly.

Keldar nodded. "Most likely – it's the spot of last night's battle. Talyn, that's our destination."

Talyn shook her head, and put on a little more speed as she closed the gap between them and their goal. As the sun came up, her scales began to gleam and shine more brightly. As if knowing this, Talyn sunk her flight more into the canyon, where the black stone absorbed the light completely.

Slowly and stealthily they made their way to the leftover remains of the battle from the previous night. As the group turned a corner and rounded the closest grove of trees to the canyon, what was left of the structure of torment and death came into view. What were left were charred pieces of old wood, blackened by soot and smoke. Most of the arm that had extended out into the canyon was somewhere far below them, or maybe even descending still – according to the legends surrounding the true depth of the Infinite Canyon. On the cliff's edge the platform was all but gone, a few boards remaining here and there, releasing the smoke the group had seen from afar. However, after that came the barren landscape that reached towards the tree line: it was dotted with burn marks and slash marks, marks of major battles that had consumed the area until much of it was obliterated by the _Twilight_'s main cannon. That itself left a huge pointed crater, beginning where the _Twilight_ had been resting and reaching all the way to the remains of the platform. Throughout this destruction Riku and Keldar noticed one thing.

"There's no one here," they told each other tensely, almost at the exact same moment each discovered it. Talyn slowed as well, almost coming to a full stop in midair. There were no people milling around the wreckage, no _Twilight_, no _Strahl_ either. No sign of friends…or enemies.

"Why isn't anyone here? Wouldn't they be looking for us?" Keldar murmured out loud.

"One would assume so," Riku answered him. "We should probably check things out. Talyn, land by the line of trees back a ways – we'll walk up and take a look around," he told her.

_::If you're sure::_ she told Riku. Talyn immediately turned her head and leaned her body to the left, banking towards solid ground and the line of trees. As she did, Keldar and Riku scanned the tree line for any kind of movement, but nothing stirred in the area. As softly as possible, Talyn coasted over the embankment of the canyon and touched down about half of a mile back from the open area, running slightly towards the trees as she lowered her wings to her sides. As she slowed, she carefully entered the thicket of pine trees, her scales brushing harmlessly against the needles. Once she was a good hundred feet inside and found a somewhat open area, she carefully folded her legs under her and sank to the ground.

"We'll be right back," Riku promised the two of them as he stood.

"Keep inside the inside of the forest – we don't know who may be here," Keldar warned him. "Meet back here in ten minutes if you don't find anything – by then we should know if anyone is here or not."

"Right," Riku nodded. The two of the clambered on down Talyn's legs, using them as stepstools, and began a quiet search in the gray dawn. They both followed the line of trees heading back towards the wreckage at first, listening intently. The only sounds that greeted them were their own soft footfalls as well as the calls of several morning birds in the area. Upon reaching the opening where the _Twilight_ had been the night before, Keldar and Riku split their search pattern in two: while Keldar turned and headed deeper into the forest, Riku continued his hike along the edge of the forest. They did this silently, without any verbal exchange whatsoever.

Looking around him ever so slowly, taking in every detail, Riku skirted his way alongside the border of trees. Not much was left; there were enormous indentations where the _Twilight_ had been, and of course the damage left from the battles and the destructive force of the main cannon. Other than that, there was no sign of human life in the area at all.

_Sora and the others just wouldn't leave though_, Riku thought to himself. _Knowing Sora, he would do everything in his powers to come after us – Kairi probably had a tough time with him_, he chuckled to himself. _Even so…_ As Riku was walking, a sudden glint to his right caught his eye. He turned his head; the glint was still there. Looking around, he carefully stepped out of the protective covering of the trees and walked the dozen or so feet towards the glint. Kneeling down, he was surprised to see some shards of crystal lying in the flattened grass. "What's this?" he murmured to himself as he picked a piece of it up in his fingers. He peered at it, examining it closely. It was crystal clear, with no flaws or cracks other than its missing halves. This particular piece seemed to be the bottom, with the largest part of the crystal culminated in a point.

Suddenly, Riku put two and two together. "This is Sora's crystal," he whispered. "But why is it so far back here?"

_Snap!_

Riku's head shot up like a scared deer, searching his surroundings for the location of the snapped twig. He turned his gaze all around him, staying perfectly still otherwise.

_Thud._ "Bloody rock," he heard a familiar voice say rather loudly as it added a few curse words to the phrase.

"Open your eyes more – there are rocks all over this area," a feminine voice answered him.

"Easy enough for you to say – you can see in the dark, my dear." As Riku slowly stood up, he held the piece of crystal tightly in his hand. He had located the source of the two speakers, and only had to wait seconds before the two of them came into view. "Now, are you sure – Riku!" Balthier suddenly exclaimed, surprised, when he looked in front of him to see the Keybearer. Balthier and Fran hastened their steps to join him. They were dressed as they always were, but each was wearing a dark black cloak to blend in with the night. "You look slightly worse for the wear, but we are sorely glad to see you. Where is Geni?" Balthier asked him as he took inventory of him.

"Back with Talyn – Keldar's around here somewhere as well," he told them with only a slight reluctance.

"That arrogant bastard is here as well? Where is he – I've got a few punches with his name on them," he replied, sneering.

"Talyn?" Fran replied in a questioning voice. "You do not mean the dragon Genevieve raised at the Disney Castle?"

"The same," Riku nodded. "She's the one who caught us as we fell –" but here Riku paused and shook his head. "That's not important right now. Geni needs your magic right now – she's hurt really bad."

Fran's eyes narrowed dangerously. "How bad?"

Riku turned nervously. "We can't tell – we tried, but we don't know if we got everything."

"Lead the way then," Balthier told him in a commanding voice.

"This way," Riku said as he began to run back west towards where Talyn had landed in the forest. He heard Balthier and Fran quickly following behind him, their cloaks flapping in the breeze they created. "By the way," Riku called over his shoulder, all pretense of keeping quiet gone, "where is everyone else?"

"Back at the _Strahl_," Balthier answered him. "Trust me, it has been a _long_ night."

"We will explain once we all return," Fran added. "Are we close?"

"Just a bit further." Riku followed along the edge of the trees as he had done before, and within a minute or two of running dashed inwards. As the sky brightened, he could see more of the area under the trees. An enormous black shadow slightly to his left indicated his goal. "There she is!" he called back to them.

Hearing voices, Talyn looked up from where she was resting. Raising her large head, the slits of her eyes narrowed even farther in the dim light, making out three human-like figures running towards her. One was taller than the others, and had some kind of appendages sticking out from the top of her head. She began to snarl loudly, grabbing their attention.

"Talyn! Talyn, it's just me!" Riku called out as he slowed in his approach.

Talyn blinked in surprise. _::That was quick – were they in the area yet?::_ She lowered the spikes that had involuntarily raised themselves along her neck, and relaxed back down to the ground.

Riku ran towards her at full speed, although Balthier and Fran did slow down slightly and with a little apprehension at seeing the enormous creature staring at them. As Riku skidded to a halt, he placed a hand on Talyn's side. _How is she?_ he asked her.

_::Doing fine – is that the healer you two were talking about before?::_

_Yes – her name is Fran. I think she's called a Viera, or something like that._

_::Oh, I see::_ Talyn laid her head down on the ground submissively, putting the Viera and human a little more at ease.

"Up here," Riku motioned to Fran and Balthier as he used Talyn's scaled legs to climb up to her back, between her transparent wings. Fran followed up nimbly after him, reaching the top of her back almost at the same moment Riku did.

"Oh my," Fran sighed as she knelt down. Geni was still lying on her back, her breathing coming in short gasps – not the long deep breaths as when Talyn had first healed her not long before. Fran took Geni's hand in her left, and stretched out her right hand over her as it began to glow a deep forest green. She closed her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows. "How bad was she when you first tended to her?" she asked him as she slowly moved her hand back and forth.

"We could see several really bad injuries, like her left foot was at a weird angle, and her right arm looked snapped in two. Plus, she had bruising on her stomach which made me believe that she had several broken ribs. When Keldar used some of his magic, he confirmed that, as well as a moderate concussion. The only other things were numerous cuts and bruises that Talyn healed. So I think the only injuries she has left are the more serious ones, ones we can't see. And…"

Fran's face fell more and more as Riku spoke. When he paused, she looked up at him with sad eyes. "And what?"

"Well…a little while ago Keldar gave her some water, but she immediately began to throw everything up until she collapsed. Her temperature even skyrocketed so far that she began hallucinating. That's when Talyn stepped in – she brought her fever down, but since then she's been unconscious."

"I see," Fran told him, her mouth set in a straight line. As she held Geni's hand, she moved some of her long fingers up to feel her pulse, as well as checking her over very slowly. _Her heartbeat is slow, but not dangerously so. They did a good enough job healing her, but something feels off. Even with the extent of these injuries, a high fever I can understand – with that many wounds, infection would have been impossible to avoid. But nausea? I have a bad feeling about this._

"Balthier," she called.

The sky pirate appeared over the side of Talyn's back. "Yes?"

"Go get me some of the Athelas plant that grows around here – several stems if you can. Take Riku with you and find out where that other boy is as well – I will begin here with Geni while you do so."

"Right. Come on, let's go find out where that irritating fellow has gotten to." Balthier began to back down over Talyn's side and disappeared from view. Riku followed slowly after him, looking back on occasion.

"She will be fine – now go," Fran told him gently.

"O-okay," Riku replied, climbing down the scaled lizard as well and quickly taking off after Balthier's fading form in the semidarkness.

Fran sighed, and began to get down to work. She immediately began with her most basic healing spells, working her way slowly over the sleeping girl. Riku had been right – the most superficial of damage had been already healed by Talyn. The inner damage, such as the broken bones, had been set but needed to be attended to as well to make sure they healed correctly. This arduous process Fran started with right away. Her hand began to glow a darker shade of green as she rested it over the right forearm. Ever so slowly, she felt the bones begin to wriggle together and new calcified areas began to grow between them as they joined as one once more.

During the process, Geni began to stir slightly. She moaned softly at first, grabbing Fran's attention. "Mmm…"

"You yet live," Fran told her with a small chuckle.

"Not by much," she responded back as she slowly blinked open her eyes, settling her fuzzy gaze on the Viera. "Fran?" she asked questioningly.

"It is I," Fran confirmed. "You had us all extremely worried, little one. Especially your brother and your father."

"Where is Sora? Is he here?" Geni said, trying to sit up.

Fran gently but forcefully pushed her back down. "You are not yet well. You have many wounds, inside and out, but you need Athelas. Balthier and Riku have hurried to collect some."

"Athelas?" she murmured. "But…I don't remember…"

"It was probably in the blades. It caused your rapid rise in fever as well as the nausea. You are lucky that less than half a day has gone by, otherwise you would be dead by noon."

Geni fell silent. "I know," she whispered.

"But you did not," Fran chastised her while continuing her work on her arm. "You were too ill too notice its effects, and Keldar and Riku are too inexperienced to have known what to have looked for. I do not know if Talyn sensed it, but I am guessing she did not either."

A pitiful sigh escaped from Talyn's throat. _::No, I did not::_

"She didn't," Geni translated.

"My point exactly – you may have the knowledge, but if you yourself are injured and no one is around, who will save you then?"

"You," Geni told her bluntly, blinking. She then began to shiver once more. "It's so cold here Fran…where did Talyn go?"

"Cold?" Fran furrowed her brow. _The poison is spreading faster than I thought – hurry Balthier!_ "She is here; do not fret. Just rest now."

"Okay," Geni replied, closing her eyes.

Fran chanced to feel her skin, placing her left hand on Geni's own. Her body's inner warmth was quickly leaving her, and although they were perched on top of an enormous source of heat, it was doing no good. Fran quickened her pace and finished healing her broken arm and began working on her broken ribs and any internal damage – if everything was working properly, it might slow the course of the poison.

As Fran worked, nearby Balthier and Riku were scouring the bush for the Athelas Fran needed. "It's a small vine, light green in color, with small white flowers on it – look towards the north side of the trees," Balthier hurriedly explained to them as they walked.

"What does it do? What kind of healing properties does it have?" Riku asked him, looking quickly all around him. Balthier was silent as he foraged around with him. "Well? What's it for?" Riku asked him again.

"…it's an antidote," he finally replied.

"Antidote? For poison?" Riku shook his head. "But I didn't see –"

"It isn't that obvious, at least the symptoms aren't. When she was tortured, the Guards probably used cursed blades, tainted with darkness. Now normally, because she controls a Keyblade of darkness it shouldn't affect her, but this darkness is cursed like the Heartless. Was she cold at all? Did she get sick?"

"…yes, on both counts," Riku answered slowly.

"Then look faster!" Balthier suddenly shouted at him, diving around in the grasses that grew around them. "We haven't much time then if it's spread that far already."

"What's spread?" a new voice suddenly answered them, inquisitive. Riku looked up to see Keldar standing not ten feet away from them. He was looking between both of them with a curious face. "Hello Balthier. So what's spreading?"

Suddenly Balthier lunged over and fisted Keldar's shirt, lifting him easily off his feet. "You bastard! You were _trying_ to make sure she died?!" he shouted at him in an accusatory voice.

"What? No! Donovan ordered that – I had no idea…?!"

"That they used cursed blades on her? That she's going to die within a couple of hours if we don't get some Athelas back to Fran on the double?!"

"What?" Keldar said, all color draining from his face. "Athelas…? You don't mean…?"

"Oh yes I do! Now hurry up and help us look for some!" Balthier shouted at him once more, dropping him to the ground.

Keldar immediately scrambled to his feet and starting running back the way he had come. "There was some not too far from here, in a small patch. Follow me!"

"Go with him," Balthier told Riku, jerking his chin in Keldar's direction. "I'll look around here some more; make sure he isn't fooling around with us."

"Right." Riku got up and took off after Keldar's receding form. No more than one hundred feet or so he saw Keldar stop and drop to the ground, pulling something out from it. "Is that it?" Riku asked him.

Keldar was pulling up a vine-like plant from the ground, littered with bright green leaves and small white flowers. "Yes, now grab as much as you can – I don't know how much Fran will need."

Riku knelt down and assisted Keldar for a minute, pulling the vines out of the ground and shaking the dirt off of them. When both boys had filled their palms with the tiny plant, Keldar stood and immediately began to run back towards the rest of the group. As they neared, the silence was broken by a horrendous gasping sound, like someone was being choked. The two males looked at each other and ran faster, Talyn's bulky shape swimming into view momentarily.

"Do you have it?" a nervous voice called down just as Balthier appeared beside them.

"Yes, and plenty," Riku called up to him.

"Then bring it!" Fran's voice responded. "Now!"

The two of them hurried up Talyn's side once more to find a gruesome sight awaiting them. Geni was seizing, her body stiffening at random intervals as she thrashed around. Her eyes were white, the pupils thrown back inside of her head. Her skin was a ghostly white, so white that she glowed in the semidarkness. Balthier was holding her down while Fran continued to cover her in a green healing glow.

"Take the Athelas and grind the petals of the flowers in your hands. Make sure to only have the petals, and not the green parts – and only little pieces; nothing larger than a bug."

Riku quickly began shredding the small white petals off of the plants, mutilating them in his palms. He looked over to see Keldar doing the same, smashing the petals together in his fists. "What do we do after that?" Riku asked Fran.

"Give them to me," Fran ordered in a no nonsense voice. Fran held out her clawed hand, and Riku gently dropped the mutilated petals in it. Soon after, Keldar did as well. As Fran closed her hand upon them, she quickly brought them up to Geni's head. "Open her mouth," she instructed Balthier. "Riku, Keldar, hold her down – and whatever you do, don't let go."

Riku placed his hands on her left leg, Keldar on the right. Balthier held her left arm, and Fran her right. Balthier also held her mouth open as Fran inserted the entire clump of flowers into it. Balthier shut her mouth, mimicking a chewing motion with it. "Here we go," he murmured.

Suddenly, Geni's eyes shot open wide and her body arched up, and a screaming noise issued from her closed mouth. She wrestled with her captors, almost breaking loose at times. Riku was surprised at the sudden force; he pushed down on her as hard as he dare, keeping her still. "What's happening?" he asked Fran with clenched teeth, his arm muscles straining.

"The Athelas is combating the poison in her body – usually one does not eat it, since it is so concentrated in that form. However, we don't have any other options at this point – if we didn't give it to her now, she would have been dead by noon."

"What?" Riku whispered, his slack loosening momentarily. Geni's flailing body took this opportunity and her leg kicked him square in the jaw. Riku fell backwards from the force of the blow, falling over Talyn's side.

"Grab her!" Fran shouted as Geni began to roll back and forth.

"You idiot!" Keldar cried, suddenly putting pressure on both of her legs, enough to break them if he hadn't known his own strength.

Riku landed with a hard _thump_, hitting his head against one of Talyn's legs on the way down. He sat there dazed, absent-mindedly listening to the shouts and thrashings high above him.

_::Riku::_ a gentle but stern voice said. _::I am just as much to blame for this as anyone::_

_Talyn? Why? None of us knew about the poison._

_::But I should have sensed it within her::_ she told him as she laid her head near him. _::However, now we must leave her in Fran's capable hands – I can sense the antidote is already coursing through her body, and the effects of the poison are abating already::_

_Good,_ Riku sighed in relief. As if voicing her thoughts, the struggled gasps for air were quickly receding above his head, replaced with nervous sighs all around. "The worst has passed," Fran announced almost proudly. "She will be fine with plenty of rest."

"Thank goodness," Riku said to himself, hanging his head.

"Thank goodness for what?"


	35. Revelations Once More

Chapter 34

"And that goes…over there," Fran pointed as Sora hefted a large crate.

"Right." He carefully moved the box over into the corner where it proceeded to sit by several of its identical twins.

"That should be all of them then," Fran frowned as she checked the small piece of paper in her hand.

"Phew," Sora said, sitting on one of them. "That was a workout."

"It was the last of them as well," Fran agreed. She looked around the medium-sized storage compartment in the belly of the _Strahl_. "I am glad that they were sturdy, to have survived the battle."

"Yeah," Sora replied, his face sinking.

"We are finished here," Fran told him softly. "Go to her side."

"Thanks," he told her gratefully, hopping off of the crate and walking past her and out the door. Sora walked the short trip to the infirmary in silence, thinking back to the events of earlier that morning, and the previous evening…

As the torture device was blown apart by the _Twilight_'s massive cannon, it took out anything and everything in its path. Sora had run to the side of the precipice, scanning it intently for any signs of life. When he had found none, his grief shook the heavens. Kairi was kneeling with him, cradling him in her arms, when Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey found them. Sora was clutching so tightly to the crystal in his hand that the shards cut into him, his blood mixing with the barely existent purple glow.

As the five of them stood there, the sounds of battle quieted, leaving only the harsh sounds of burning wood and grass to their ears. After a while, surprisingly, the _Twilight_ roared its engines and took off into the night. Soon after, the _Strahl_ landed just behind them, Balthier, Fran, Vaan, and Penelo running out towards the small group. When Kairi related what had probably happened – that Riku and Geni had fallen into the Infinite Canyon – Vaan immediately turned around back towards the _Strahl_. Accompanied by Balthier, once he realized what the young sky pirate lord had in mind, they each took a small glider with an enormous lamp on the front and dove down into the canyon. Minutes went by, then an hour, and then two…until Balthier and Vaan finally returned.

They had searched the canyon directly below the wreckage, searching the occasional ledge that had caught some of it. They had gone miles straight down, braving the darkness and the unknown, but they could not find anything that had indicated that the two humans yet lived. As Sora looked upon their grief stricken faces, tears began to fall slowly and silently out of his eyes. His sister and his best friend were, most likely, dead.

Kairi held Sora tightly, her throat swelled shut. Fran made the decision for all of them to return to the _Strahl_ and have their minor wounds tended to. She also added that they could use the _Strahl_'s sensors to boost the range of their search – she also suggested that maybe Riku and Geni had not been over the canyon when the device was destroyed…maybe they had made it clear and were hiding in wait nearby. Sora looked up, a small gleam of hope in his eyes. He shakily stood up, leaning on Kairi for support, and the nine of them returned to the ship.

Once inside, Fran and Penelo began to heal everyone and Balthier and Vaan headed up the search for any survivors in the area. They were meticulous, but alas, they could only find trace signatures due to the battle only hours before and various animals still in the area. The two males extended their range even farther, to fifty miles surrounding them – even though they knew that Riku and Geni, even on foot and in perfect health – couldn't have made it that far in only three hours.

Vaan was resigned to announce this, but he took a deep breath and headed back towards the common room on the ship. As soon as he stepped inside, Sora saw his dejected and downturned face. He was seated with Kairi on a small bench, with Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey standing in front of them. He nodded once to Vaan, saying _You tried._ After that he leaned forward and placed his hands over his face to hide yet more tears. Kairi's eyes began to leak as well, and she leaned over onto Sora and wrapped her arms around him. King Mickey clenched his fists as he stared at the floor, Goofy and Donald each placing a hand on one of his shoulders. Penelo stood and went over to embrace Vaan, while Fran quietly left to join her lifelong partner in his silent mourning over the controls of their own child, the _Strahl_.

And so the mourning of Geni and Riku continued on through the night. No one slept, no one ate…the only sounds on the quiet ship the occasional soft cry or blowing of a nose. Balthier and Fran kept their vigilance at the controls, keeping up a sweep of the area…just in case; but they knew it was probably hopeless. However, it was this small hope that kept them there, rooted to the spot of the battle.

Just before dawn would break, Fran decided that they must return to Bhujerba and deliver the news to the people. As they were beginning their ascent, slowing moving over the trees and to the east, towards the rising sun, Sora suddenly discovered that his pendant was beginning to glow once more. Excited at the sudden prospect that his friends may yet still be alive, he raced towards the airlock door. He knew they were not high enough in the sky, and he could jump out. Vaan ran after him, catching up to him just as he pushed the latch to open the airlock. Suddenly the inside cabin was depressurized, almost pulling Sora immediately out into the open sky. Luckily, Vaan grabbed the back of his jacket before he could jump. Unluckily for Sora, though, the sudden surprise of being pulled back by Vaan made him drop his crystal necklace out the door and into the early morn. He tried to pull away from Vaan to catch it, but the older man held him firm as he closed the airlock door once more.

Sora, in light of losing his best friend, his sister, and now his last piece that connected them, lost himself. He slid to the floor, Vaan still holding the back of his jacket as they both panted, and lay there in a daze. The _Strahl_ continued its short ascent until Vaan had caught his breath enough to order Sora to stay put and go to the cockpit to tell Balthier and Fran to re-land the ship.

The rest, as they say, is history. Balthier and Fran landed the _Strahl_ in a clearing about one mile away from the battle site, and went back to search. It was then they came upon Riku wandering the area, and who led them to Geni, Talyn, and Keldar. Once Fran had completed the initial treatment on Geni, they immediately brought her back to the _Strahl_ and into their small infirmary. She had been there ever since, and Fran until only a short while ago.

Coming to an unassuming door, Sora knocked quietly several times until he heard soft shuffling noises from inside. Moments later, Penelo swung open the door, smiling. "Done already?" she asked with a knowing grin.

"Yes – Fran sent me," he told her as he walked in. The infirmary itself was only a spare room on the ship with two small beds and several cabinets with sterilized equipment in them. There was also a water basin and mirror, as well as several small port windows allowing the bright afternoon light to stream in. Sora walked over to the first bed, glancing down. "How is she?"

"Stable," Penelo answered, walking to stand next to him. "The Athelas did its work – the poison has almost completely dissipated from her body. The smaller wounds were all healed by Talyn, and the larger ones – the broken bones and internal damage – were for the most part healed by Fran, Kairi, and I. She's surprisingly adept at healing magic," Penelo said with a soft laugh. "Fran promised to teach her more when we had time."

"I see," Sora answered absentmindedly, sitting in a chair next to the bed. He reached out to grab his sister's warm hand, squeezing it gently.

"She still has a slight fever, but that should disappear by tonight. Right now all she needs is rest; she'll be as good as new by tomorrow morning," she told Sora reassuringly, patting him on the back. "I'm going to go find Vaan. Will you be okay…?" she asked him, her question trailing off uncertainly.

"Of course, go ahead," he nodded to her.

"Call us if anything changes," Penelo told him, turning and walking towards the door.

"I will," Sora called back as her heard the door squeak open and then close again. He turned towards his sister, noting the several bandages that covered her yet.

Her face was very pink, the indication of her fever. Her broken arm was bandaged but not splinted anymore, just like her leg; Fran, Penelo, and Kairi had given her a clean white shift to wear instead of her ragged and bloody clothes. Her hair was in disarray, her spikes shifted in every which way. Her braid had loose pieces trailing out of it, covering the pillow like the wild vine of an untamed garden. Even so, she was breathing deeply and evenly, and sleeping without a care in the world. The soft blue blanket covering her, except for her arms which lay on top of it, kept her warm without overheating her.

Sora smiled, squeezing her hand once more. "Why do you worry us so much?" he whispered quietly to himself. He shook his head. "You think of everyone but yourself. But, I suppose, that's one of your best qualities." Sora listened to the sounds around him, in the room and outside of it. The room itself was silent except for the sounds of quiet breathing and pounding hearts; outside he could hear the occasional footsteps passing through the metal halls, people calling to one another, boxes shifting, gears grinding. Fran had told him that once everything was upright and settled once more, that they would take off for Bhujerba.

He frowned. The only decision he had disagreed with concerned Keldar. He was currently in Balthier's version of a brig; a locked room behind the cockpit with someone standing guard outside at all times. Riku, surprisingly, had spoken up for him…defending him, telling them how he had helped to rescue Geni. Even so – and Sora laughed once more at it – Keldar now sported a very large and very purple black eye where Balthier had said hello to him. The four sky pirates had told him off immediately upon their initial contact, binding him and hauling him off roughly.

Sora had many questions to ask him, he knew, but they could wait. He wanted his sister to be awake as well for them. The biggest being: what now? Does Donovan think that Geni's dead? Why did he leave without Keldar? Why did he leave without finishing them off? Why hadn't they been back yet? Sora shook his head fiercely; he didn't know, so why bother worrying about it right now? He closed his eyes, concentrating. _Get better soon, okay?_

Back on the bridge, Balthier was angrily flipping switches and checking readings from the engines. He was also cursing under his breath; he knew better than to use those particular phrases within a half mile of his partner's excellent hearing, but at the moment he did not care in the slightest. "I will excuse it this one time then," a soft voice whispered in his ear.

Balthier jumped out of his seat, scowling. "I thought you could only hear what I say, not what I think."

"You are easy enough; one does not have to be able to read minds in order to do so," Fran smiled.

"Yes, yes – so you tell me. Is the cargo all set?"

The Viera sat down gracefully into her copilot's seat. "Yes, the cargo is ready. We can leave for Bhujerba at any time. Talyn is going to follow us as well, so we will have to forewarn the Aerodrome."

"Good – that's what I wanted to hear." Balthier grabbed a speaker attached to a cord a pulled it down, pressing a button on the side of it. "Vaan, we're ready to take off. Close all the main hatches and get everyone seated. We're flying back to Bhujerba, so we should be there in a few hours as long as we don't run into any trouble." He depressed the button, and several loud clanks were heard as a door far behind them closed. "Right then. Off we go."

As the _Strahl_'s engines ignited, the large craft slowly rose high above the forest. The trees flattened around them as the stabilizers engaged, and the wings slowly spread out to the sides of the ship. And with a _boom!_ the _Strahl_ took off into the bright afternoon sky.

Down in the ship, Sora continued to sit with Geni and watch over her like a hawk. She continued to sleep, so tired that she did even move within it. King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi were talking with Riku about what had happened the previous night after they had lost contact. Vaan had replaced Goofy on guard duty, while Penelo was tending to the minor injuries of Keldar. She had already healed Riku, who was currently sipping a glass of water and eating a sandwich. Besides the bar the night before, neither he nor Keldar had eaten or drank anything since the early dinner the day before.

"And that's what happened," he finally finished, smiling as he saw a flash of purple pass by outside the window.

King Mickey shook his head. "I suppose he was trying to redeem himself by assisting you?" he spoke carefully.

"I don't know. I suppose so," Riku answered slowly. "We really didn't talk about a whole lot specifically; he told me about meeting Geni when she was little, and how she grew up here in the Realm. He didn't mention anything about Donovan or his plans."

"We should go and _ask_ him then," Donald said, cracking his knuckles.

"Not now," Kairi told him gently. "I know we all want to find out what's going on, but it would be better if we waited until we got back to Bhujerba. We have no idea what's gone on since we left – for all we know, Donovan could have gone back to finish the job he started." She shivered at the thought.

"That brings up a valid point," King Mickey said slowly. "Let's go over this bit by bit. Apparently Donovan was a friend of the King and Queen before their reign began; he was with the King when he died, and that event in and of itself is fuzzy. He then went on to be the Queen's advisor – yet he killed her to frame Geni and support Keldar as the next king. But he's gone and left without Keldar; he probably assumed he is dead or was captured by us –"

"Which isn't too far off truth," Goofy interjected.

"Right. His ultimate goal is so become the ruler of this world, and somehow gain an enormous amount of power in the process. I believe it has something to do with the darkness – he seems to be able to control part of it by some means."

"The Queen's Guards," Donald said.

"Exactly. As well as how he killed the Queen, and the spell he used against Madame Lirona. He's no pushover."

"So what he is going to do now is the big question," Kairi said with a frown. "If everyone thinks that Geni is dead, and that Keldar is either captured or dead as well, who rules next? Wouldn't it be the runners up after Keldar and Geni?"

"There aren't any…yet." Balthier was leaning against the doorframe into the small room, a mixed expression on his face.

"Balthier," Riku greeted him. "What do you mean by 'yet'?" he asked him.

"There are dozens of rigorous tests the possible candidates go through – and it usually takes a minimum of one year to complete them all. No, I have a feeling that Donovan is going to try something else instead."

"What?" Kairi asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"…Do away with the monarchy completely."

"What…like make it a democratic government? Have the council make all of the decisions?"

"No...not quite. You see, the king and queen are chosen from among the people to be the next rulers of the Realm. However, the Imperial Council is not chosen from among the people – at least some of the time. Most of the council members are the heads of the aristocratic and wealthiest families in the Realm. They represent the areas in which they live, but the seat which each family holds is passed down generation by generation. Except for a very few of the seats which are held by commoners – many in the merchant's guilds – the Imperial Council members are the closest thing to nobility."

"So Donovan wants to get rid of the monarchs and the council?" King Mickey said slowly. "But that would mean…"

"Exactly." Balthier stepped into the room, crossing his arms and scowling. "He would be the single sole ruler over the Realm."

"No one would accept that!" King Mickey protested. "It seems like having a king, queen, and council has been tradition for thousands of years here! None of the people would accept such a radical change instantly for him to oppose us so quickly!"

"But there is one way…" Balthier trailed off, looking at Riku. "You've seen it before."

Everyone turned to look at Riku. "What?" he asked. "What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Not just you," Balthier said as he shook his head. "Geni as well."

Riku's eyes widened in shock. "You mean the darkness…"

King Mickey suddenly realized what Balthier meant. "Like how he controlled the Guards…how he got close enough to the Queen to kill her without her realizing it…"

"Precisely. But that's only half of it."

"He would have to gather every member of the Imperial Council together in one place too, wouldn't he?" Riku asked Balthier.

"And how would he do that?" the sky pirate questioned him.

"By suggesting the removal of the monarchy! Of course!" Riku shouted as he shot up out of his seat.

"Bingo," Balthier replied with a wry smile.

"Balthier, that's amazing! How did you realize all of this?" Riku asked him.

"He didn't," a slightly annoyed female voice replied from behind him.

"Eh heh, Fran…didn't hear you come in," Balthier said, turning with an embarrassed look to face his partner.

"Vaan is piloting," she told him first. "But yes – I realized this when I pieced together Donovan's ambitions and the possible reasons as to why he would leave Keldar behind without searching for him. Also, by convincing the Imperial Council that they do not need a monarchy, and placing him as ruler instead, he would receive the greatest power in the Realm."

"The greatest…power in the Realm?" Goofy said in a confused voice.

"What is that?" Kairi asked in a hushed voice.

"I…actually do not know," Fran admitted in a slightly embarrassed voice. "All I do really know is from what the Viera have told me about the previous King and Queen's coronation, which was 450 years ago."

Donald whistled. "I knew Geni had said that people here lived a long time, but…"

"The Viera live even longer than we humans do, don't forget," Balthier reminded him.

"So what did they tell you?" King Mickey asked.

"There is a special ceremony that is held at the Temple of Origins. As you know, there are seven sets of royal crowns and accessories to those. My mother told me that when their majesties entered the Temple, they were wearing crowns of blue and indigo. When they had exited the Temple, both were wearing crowns of violet."

"They changed their crowns?" Goofy asked.

"No," Fran said with a shake of her head. "You see, the Temple of Origins is a very sacred place. It is supposed to be the exact spot where the Realm was created. It is also supposed to be the place where the power that originated this universe lies. I have heard that if the color of the crowns does not change after a king or queen has entered the Temple, they can no longer be the king or queen."

"So this power tells them whether or not they have permission to rule?" Riku double-checked.

"To a certain extent. If the would-be rulers have that permission, their power increases dramatically so they are in fact the most powerful beings in this universe."

The group was silent for a moment, taking in this information. "So…" Riku began, "if Donovan convinces the council that there should no longer be any monarchs, and also convinces them to instate him as the ruler, then he would go through this ceremony too?"

"That is correct."

"But with Donovan's powers…" Riku trailed off. He suddenly gasped loudly. "With his powers, he could corrupt that power and unleash it as darkness across the Realm! He could unleash darkness more so than Ansem or Organization XIII ever could!"

"Exactly," Balthier said, stepping in, but looking at Fran's exasperated expression. "We need to stop this at all costs."

"Then how do we do it?" Riku asked him with a stern expression, his fists tightening. "Who do we talk to? Where do we go?"

"First we continue to Bhujerba," Fran told him. "We must assemble the fleet at once and take on the capital. We stick to our original plan, with a few changes. Now come Balthier," she said, grabbing the sky pirate by the arm and practically dragging him out of the room, "you have a ship to pilot."

"Bye!" he called as he disappeared out the door.

Kairi suppressed a giggle. Riku sighed, and plopped himself back down on the bench he had been sitting on next to Kairi. "This is getting more and more complicated by the minute," he groaned slightly.

"Would you have it any other way?" a different voice asked this time with a laugh.

Riku looked up to see Sora standing in the doorway. "Sora! What's up?"

"You're being asked for," he replied with a pointed thumb, leading back the way he had come.

Riku jumped up and ran out the door without another word, and Sora came inside and took his place next to Kairi, sighing. "What's the matter?" she asked him, using her left hand to smooth the spikes on the back of his head.

"First off, she barely remembers anything that happened. A few blurry bits and pieces, but that's about it. Most of what she did remember involves what happened on the other ship, the _Twilight_…" Sora paused, swallowing loudly. "She wouldn't tell me what happened…just the overgeneralization of that she was 'tortured.'"

"Who did it to her Sora?" King Mickey asked him gently. "We can at least –"

"No…no…" Sora said quickly, straightening up to look at them. "Geni also told me the Guards who did it were under Donovan's control; they didn't have any free will of their own. It wasn't their fault."

"More examples of his power of darkness," the king said slowly. He suddenly looked up in realization. "Sora. We think we've figured out what Donovan's planning…"

Riku ran up the hall as quickly as possible and threw open the door to the infirmary. Geni lay in the small bed, her arms crossed across her middle, looking out the windows to her left as the clouds raced by outside. "Geni!" he exclaimed happily as he closed the door behind him and ran to her side.

"Riku!" she answered softly, but with an equal amount of joy in her voice.

Riku sat down in the chair Sora had occupied, and reached for her hand. Geni gave it up willingly, and he brought it up and kissed it tenderly. "You're awake," he stated.

"Now I am," she replied, looking up at him.

"You look much better – how do you feel?" he asked her, using his free left hand to feel her forehead. "Your fever is just about gone."

"I'm feeling much better, thank you – a little tired yet, but on the mend," she replied. She blinked, smiling at him. "I've missed you so much…but I knew you were here."

"I never left your side – not until Fran forced me to look after myself for a bit."

"Men," she laughed, her eyes twinkling.

"What? We were all really worried about you," he replied innocently. Smiling, he brought her hand up to his cheek and rubbed his face against the soft skin. "I was really worried…I wasn't sure if you were going to make it at times. You…your injuries were so…so…" Riku trailed off.

"Was I that bad?" she whispered to him. "I…can't remember much after getting off of the _Twilight_…it's all a bit fuzzy. Sora told me how I looked when Balthier and Fran found us."

"You were. When we first got away, when Talyn saved us, you were so cut up, bruised, battered, and broken I was afraid you were already drifting away from us. And then the poison we didn't know about…you could have died without us even knowing how to help you. What did they _do_ to you?" he whispered back to her.

Geni, for the first time since Riku had entered the room, turned her head away from him. "No," she told him firmly.

"But Geni –"

"No, Riku. You don't need to know what happened. What you went through, and seeing me afterwards, was bad enough. I will not torment you any more than what I could not prevent," she told him resolutely.

"Shorty," he said softly, squeezing her hand.

Geni swallowed the lump in her throat. "No, Riku…I can't…" she told him hoarsely, squeezing her eyes shut, forcing her mind to forget.

"You don't have to shoulder all that pain alone," he told her. "Let me share it with you."

She turned her head back towards him, two shining trails of tears already cascading down her face. "Riku," she said, her voice and face crumpling.

He immediately got off his chair and leaned over the bed and enveloped her in his arms as she began to cry, sobs racking her body in remembrance. Her fingers balled up his shirt, anchoring her to him as she slowly let go of the pain. In a sudden flash, Riku felt a searing pain along his arm; he looked to his left to see nothing there, but in his mind he could clearly see and feel the blood seeping out of it. Another flash of pain, this time across his other arm; as Geni cried, and with each small cry of pain on her part, Riku realized that she was actually reliving what her captors had done to her on the _Twilight_…

A long, winding cut up their left leg.

A jagged, unfeeling slash up their right thigh.

The rattling of teeth and seeing of stars as their head was smashed into the floor repeatedly.

The taste of copper in their mouth after their chest was stepped on to the point of several ribs cracking.

The Guards cackling laughter as they touched them, almost caressing them, as they enjoyed their sensuous game of pain.

The humiliation of ripping open their top with the knife and exposing their underclothes.

The simultaneous splintering as one Guard stepped on their arm and one stepped on their leg.

Geni cried out each time as her power manifested her memories between the two of them. Riku gritted his teeth each time, holding her tighter and whispering love and encouragement to her. He couldn't believe what the Guards had done to her, physically and mentally. He could tell by the time they had finished she was little more than a puddle of whimpering, wounded flesh.

When it had finished, the two of them were breathing as if they had run a marathon. "It's over now, don't worry – they can't hurt you anymore," he reassured her gently.

Geni nodded into his chest, still holding on for dear life. "I'm…I'm sorry," she murmured to him throatily. "I never meant for you to know…"

"You can't hold all of that pain in by yourself," he admonished her. "It was awful, what they did to you, but none of that was your fault – so why shouldn't you let someone comfort you about it? Do you feel any better?"

She sniffed. "A little," she admitted, pulling away from him slowly. Riku kept a hold on her from a short distance as she looked up at him with wet and puffy eyes. "Thank you," she told him gratefully. She suddenly choked, laughing a little. "I look even worse now, don't I?"

"You look beautiful, as always," he told her, reaching to the small table next to the bed to grab a few tissues for her. She took them gratefully, wiping her eyes and nose. "That's better," he told her, making her giggle a little. "Now that you're awake, did Sora tell you anything?"

"About what?" she asked him, sitting up by herself in the bed.

Riku sat back down in the wood chair and looked at her. "We're heading back to Bhujerba, and then like our plan before the amassed fleet is going to go to the capital."

"I see. What happened to Keldar and Donovan?" she asked him.

Riku was silent momentarily. "Donovan left on the _Twilight_…and Keldar's up in the brig."

"What? Why?" she asked him, throwing the blanket off of her and quickly swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing. She wobbled for a second before Riku caught her and stabilized her. "Sorry," she told him sheepishly.

"You need to rest more," he told her sternly. "Get back into bed."

"No! I want to know why Keldar is in the brig – he's done nothing wrong so far."

"He nearly killed you." Geni took a double-take at Riku's tone of voice; he was serious, bordering the point of menacing. She sat down on the bed, staring at him.

"But…I remember…with Talyn…"

"He did help to save you…a little," Riku gave in, "but he's done more harm than good. Wouldn't you agree?"

"But he wasn't responsible for his actions! Donovan was goading him on, influencing him in the wrong direction! If anything he's impressionable, not guilty."

"Impressionable or not, he was always in control of his actions," Riku told her as he grabbed her legs and swung them back up onto the bed, making her yelp in surprise. "Now stay in bed," he told her sternly, pulling the blanket back over her.

"But-"

"No buts. If you want to help at all, you need your rest. You still look like half of death warmed over."

"Alright," she said softly, laying her head back on the pillow. "I still think you all are making a mistake."

"Opinion noted," he replied dryly. "Now there is something I want to ask you about. Fran and Balthier, as I started to mention before, believe they have figured out what Donovan is after."

"What's that?"

"Have you ever heard of the Temple of Origins?"

Geni shook her head slowly. "I think I remember some of my teachers mentioning it when the compatibility testing began, but none of them went into great detail about it. All I know is that it involves the final ritual of becoming king and queen. Why?"

"Fran said that when the man and woman enter the Temple of Origins, a power inside will dramatically increase their own if it accepts them as king and queen. Have you heard about that?"

She shook her head again. "Everything involving the ceremony is very secretive; only a select few in the entire Realm know exactly what happens once they enter. It is a very sacred place to the people here; it is allegedly the place where this universe began, and where the power that created this universe still lies."

"That's almost the exact same thing that Fran told us – her mother had been at the previous King and Queen's coronation ceremony 450 years ago."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Geni said with a smile. However, she then frowned. "Why? What is going on?"

"Well…Fran and Balthier believe that Donovan is going to force the Imperial Council to do away with the monarchy and instate him as the next ruler."

"That's absurd! The council would never do that!"

"With his powers of darkness, he could," Riku pointed out to her.

"Oh…true…"

"However, once he did that, they said he would perform this same ceremony. I figured if he could kill the Queen and corrupt the entire Imperial Council, he may just be able to twist that power and spread darkness like we've never seen across the entire universe."

"…darkness…" she echoed. _The prophecy…_ she thought.

"Just like us," Riku said bitterly, repeating her thoughts.

"No, not 'just like us,'" she told him with a tight smile.

"What do you mean? We both wield Keyblades of darkness, and while one of us only wields the darkness one of us has a Keyblade of death. One that kills people. That is _not_ a comforting thought."

"Death is not always lamentable," Geni told him gently.

Riku looked up at her, wondering at her words, and was about to question her on them when there was a several quick and successive knocks at the door. "Come in!" he called.

The door opened to reveal Penelo and Kairi. "Well well, look who is up!" she exclaimed. "I want to give you one more thorough check before we land."

"Land?" Geni asked her as Kairi helped her to sit up in the small bed.

"We're less than an hour away from Bhujerba," Kairi explained to her.

"You should hear the talk on the communications," Penelo told her with a sigh.

"Why? What's going on? What happened?" Geni asked, beginning to look upset.

"Nothing that concerns you as of right now," Penelo told her firmly. "Once you've rested more tonight, you can begin helping tomorrow. And no buts," she told her as she got out the thermometer, wagging it at her.

"Alright," she said, sounding defeated.

Riku laughed at her mournful looking face. "And you – out of here," Penelo told him, shoving him on the door with a boot to his back. Riku quickly turned and was about to come at her with a sharp retort when the door was slammed in his face, his finger still held up. He sighed in defeat, but more interested in the news Penelo had brought. Deciding to investigate, he headed the short distance past the room where Keldar was being held prisoner and guarded by Vaan, who smiled at him in greeting. Tossing back a 'hello' in return, he walked past him and into the cockpit.

"…yes, and I know! All we need is one spot in the Aerodrome – we took heavy fire from the _Twilight_ and will need to repair, refuel, and reequip her before we get underway tomorrow!" Balthier was practically shouting into the small receiver.

A small chirping noise replied back to him just as indignantly, raising and lowering in pitch like someone speaking. Fran listened in on the conversation with an amused look on her face; her left ear twitched as she heard Riku's soft steps enter the chamber. "Welcome Riku," she told him without turning around.

"What's going on?" he asked her, confused.

"Balthier is arguing with Nono about our landing in a prime spot in the Aerodrome. He's relayed most of the information to them – the battle with the _Twilight_, finding the three of you with Talyn, our assumptions about Donovan's plot, and so forth. Nono is angry because he just finished repairs on the _Strahl_." She chuckled softly.

"Ah," Riku replied uncertainly. "And Nono is…?"

"I believe you met him once, or at least creatures like him. Moogles, yes?"

Riku thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "In Traverse Town, Twilight Town, and Radiant Garden. They were white creatures with small black wings, a large red nose, and an antenna with a red ball dangling off of it."

"Those are distant cousins of the Moogles here in the Realm. Nono is much larger than his cousins, and their fur, wings, and pompoms come in different colors as well."

"The small creature with the green vest in the Aerodrome?" he asked her.

"That is him," she affirmed. They were suddenly cut off by Balthier slamming the receiver back onto its holder.

"I swear, never again! We're getting a new mechanic!" he said, livid and face flushed.

"You would never replace Nono."

"I will! This time the straw broke the Chocobo's back! When we get back I –"

"Will forgive him as usual because he is the best at looking after your pride and joy," Fran interrupted him, as if she had heard this conversation dozens of times before.

"I might someday," he muttered, grabbing the controls and pushing several buttons.

Fran sighed. "We are fifteen minutes from landing. Could you please make sure everyone is ready? Including our prisoner?" she asked Riku.

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"For the firing squad he's about to meet back in Bhujerba," Balthier muttered angrily.

"Firing squad?" Riku questioned him. "Geni was adamant about the four of you hauling him off to your brig. Although I don't blame you," he added with a sniff.

"She still believes him innocent," she commented.

"Yes. She calls him 'impressionable,' saying that everything he did was because of Donovan and none of it was his own actions. She thinks that he was brainwashed or something!" he said with a groan. "I just don't get her sometimes. She trusts people so blindly that it clouds her judgment on them; she can't see people's true intentions, and then it goes this far…it hurts her to the point that it almost kills her!" Riku suddenly fisted his right hand and pounded it against the empty captain's chair behind Fran.

"But that is one of her best qualities, no?" Fran replied, turning around to look at him. Her piercing red eyes studied him intently. "If she does not trust a person without bias or impartiality, and no other person does, then who will? She gives the benefit of the doubt to everyone until proven wrong."

"Don't judge a book by its cover," Riku muttered.

"Exactly. Which is why we are here; to lift her back up when she is occasionally wrong." Fran smiled before turning around. "Now, please make sure everyone is fastened in before we land."

"I will." Riku turned and walked back out of the cockpit. He walked straight up to Vaan first, who was watching him with a curious expression. "What?" Riku asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"What was that all about?" he asked him. "Balthier and Nono arguing again?"

"Yes, according to Fran. We'll be at the Aerodrome in Bhujerba in fifteen minutes, so she said to tell everyone to fasten in for landing. Including him," he said, nodding towards the door behind him.

"Go ahead," Vaan told him. "I had to give him something to eat before; he barely acknowledged my existence. I doubt if he ate any of it – he probably thought it was poisoned."

"I'll do it then," Riku said with a heave and a sigh. Vaan grinned, standing aside and opening the door. Riku walked in to the dimly lit room, the only light coming from the two portside windows. Vaan closed the door behind him, and it took him a moment to adjust his eyes and locate the figure sitting on a frame with a worn mattress in the corner.

"What do you want now?" Keldar told him, his back facing him.

_Hmph. At least he said something, I suppose._ "We're landing in Bhujerba in fifteen minutes. Balthier and Fran want everyone to fasten in for the landing. Even you," he added pointedly.

"Fine." Riku stood there for a minute in silence, wondering if he should say anything about what Geni told him. "Well? Is there something you need?"

"She's against having you in here."

Keldar spun around, facing him with a hard glare. His right eye shone purple in the light from the port window, displaying Balthier's handiwork. "She's awake then."

"Yes. A short while ago."

"…is she alright?" Riku paused, taking in a deep breath. "Well, is she?" he asked, his voice having trace amounts of concern laced into it.

"Fran, Penelo, and Kairi treated her right away. She's tired and sore, but everything else is pretty much healed. They told me with a good night's sleep she'll be good as new in the morning."

There was silence in the small room after his statement. Keldar was the first to look away, turning around on the bare mattress. He said nothing more to Riku, which perturbed him for some reason. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do I have to say to _you_?"

"To me?! How about to her?! How about something like, 'sorry I almost got you killed' or 'sorry I barely helped to keep you alive.'" Riku slowly curled his fingers inwards to make fists. "She's already forgiven you…although I doubt the rest of us will." He turned and stomped towards the door, throwing it open. "She's too good for you," he finished as he slammed the door and cut off Vaan's surprised face.

What Riku didn't see, and the reason why Keldar turned his back on him, is the look of extreme relief on his face. _She's okay_, he thought with a sigh once he was alone again. He slowly brought up his left hand and poked his right eye, wincing slightly at the puffiness he felt. He could have healed it on his own, obviously, but he hadn't really cared. Balthier had deserved the shot after all; and he had deserved it.

Keldar slumped his shoulders, sighing once again. He felt a slight decrease in the ship as the mattress squeaked into the wall slightly – _I guess he was right…we are almost there._ He turned and slid up against the wall, feeling the descent of the ship ever so slightly. He smiled; Balthier was taking it easy – he knew who for. Somehow, even with him, she had wormed her way into everyone's hearts. And he knew…even without that silvered hair _giant_ coming in to tell him, that he owed her an apology.

"Nono! Where are you Nono?!" an irritated voice shouted. Balthier stomped down the ramp out of the _Strahl_ "I want a word with your Moogle hide!"

A terrified shriek rang out, and several barrels fell on their side, as a small creature ran out from between them. However, as soon as it saw Balthier, it held its paws up in surrender and began squeaking out an indecipherable language. Several almost identical pairs of eyes peeked out as well, wondering what had created the commotion.

"Not today! I told you –"

The Moogle Nono squeaked indignantly, stomping his small foot on the Aerodrome's floor.

"What? No – I don't think so, my little friend. You told me that –"

Nono made an extremely negative noise, crossing his arms across his chest and wrinkling his nose. He then turned around and began stomping off in short pats of his feet.

"What? Get back here!" Balthier shouted angrily. Nono continued to walk off, and Balthier began running after him. Hearing the tall human give chase, Nono looked back once and cried out, beginning to dash away from the sky pirate.

"Nothing ever changes between those two," Fran commented.

"No, it doesn't," Vaan sighed as he walked down the ramp behind her.

"But Balthier would never fire Nono – he's the best anywhere," Penelo added as she joined them at the bottom of the ramp. "Speaking of which, this place looks pretty empty compared to how we left it." She looked around the Aerodrome, also noting the lack of commotion compared to how it had been before they had left in a hurry the night before.

"We've been a little busy, sorry to say," an older man's voice suddenly said.

The trio looked to their left to see an older gentleman strolling up to them with a small entourage of men and women in various clothing; they were the southern sky pirates he had meet with only twenty four hours ago. "Elders," Vaan greeted them.

"It seems your ship has come back in better spirits?" the older man leading the group questioned him once they had arrived and stood quietly in front of them. Many of them seemed tense as they waited for Vaan's answer.

"We are," he confirmed for them. Several audible sighs of relief were heard.

"The princess…?" the man asked.

"Is doing better," Vaan told him.

"…better? What happened?" The old man narrowed his eyes, his wrinkles falling in cascades on his forehead.

"While on the _Twilight_, she was…questioned. Thoroughly," he added. "We also arrived at the Infinite Canyon in enough time to prevent her sentence from being carried out."

"Sentence?!" the man said, shocked. His face immediately changed from surprise to anger. "Who did it? Was it Donovan?" Several other angry voices joined his as well.

"No…I did." The two groups turned in surprise to see Goofy leading Keldar, whose hands were bound by rope, down the ramp towards them.

"Hello fellers," he greeted them. "I brought Keldar like ya asked."

"C-Crown Prince Keldar?" the old man stuttered. "You? But how _could_ you?!" He took several steps towards him, looking at him as Fran, Penelo, and Vaan moved a few feet out of the way to allow Goofy and the prisoner to step onto the hard floor. "I expected much more than this from you!"

Keldar kept his head down, listening to his tirade. "I am sorry, wise elder," he told him sincerely, his head still bowed.

"So you tried to kill her after all?"

"Traitor!"

"Murderer!"

The other leaders of the sky pirates began shouting at him, yet stayed behind the shorter elder that lead them.

"Enough!" he boomed at him, sweeping his gaze behind him to stare at them with an angry glare.

"But Elder Rabat –" a young man began.

"Silence. Let me speak," he snapped at him.

"Yes sir," the sky pirate, murmured, backing away.

Elder Rabat, took several small steps towards Keldar and Goofy. Goofy stood to the side, holding the rope that bound Keldar's wrists together. As the elder came and looked up at Keldar, he took his staff and placed it under Keldar's chin, lifting his face out of the shadows of his onyx hair. "You have been punished already, yes?" he commented, looking at the large purple bruise that covered his right eye.

Keldar remained silent.

"Answer me this one question, young prince: why should we not kill you right here and now? What makes your life important enough to spare it and allow you to continue the path you are walking on?" Elder Rabat asked him, lowering his walking cane back to the floor.

The Crown Prince did not have an answer in the slightest to the old man's questions. How should he know the value of his life beyond the fact that he had rather not wanted to die so young? "I…I don't…" he began, before a soft voice interrupted him.

"Because he holds one of the keys that will defeat Donovan," a female voice spoke up from the entryway into the _Strahl_.

Keldar did not have to turn around, nor did he want to look into her face and see the pitying look he knew that would be characterizing it.

"Your highness!" Elder Rabat said happily as he turned to face her, bowing his head in respect. "It seems you are quite well; quite opposite of what our young leader had said."

"Welcome back, your highness," several other voices greeted Geni.

She stood at the top of the ramp, Sora standing just behind her. Thanks to Fran and Penelo, she was once again wearing her traditional clothes: the tan asymmetrical camisole with her leather breastplate covering it, the puffed out tan pants, her leather arm bracers, and a new pair of Roman styled sandals. She was missing the jewelry that had adorned her the night before, such as the crown, armlet, and signet ring she had left behind. Lirona's necklace lay safely tucked away in the pouch at her waist; the only items missing were her blue waist sash and the multicolored panels of embroidery that had been shredded. Her hair was once again tamed spikes and a neat but long braid down the middle of her back. The only visual signs of her ordeal were the bandages wrapped around her right forearm, her left ankle, and a strip or two on her forehead. The bandages covering her midsection to make sure her ribs healed nicely were hidden under her shirt. "Elder Rabat," she greeted as she slowly walked down the ramp, Sora following her and watching over her like a hawk. "You all must have been worried – I am sorry for that," she told him as she knelt down in front of him, bowing her head to him.

"No need, my dear – it is _us_ who should be thanking _you_. Because of what you did, the damage to the city was minimal and superficial at the most. Yet are you sure?" he asked her as he lifted her hand in an indication to stand. "He is no friend to us."

"Crown Prince Keldar did much to help myself and Riku this previous night. I see no reason to rush to rash decisions," she told him, turning finally to stand on an angle to his right.

Keldar kept his face down, hiding it with his dark black hair. _What's she up to? I nearly killed her…_ He could, however, still see her feet and ankles, and noticed that she was favoring her left foot slightly. _So she's not completely healed yet. Show off._

"But your highness – surely, you don't mean to say we should allow him to go free without any penalty whatsoever?" Elder Rabat asked her, surprise in his old baritone voice.

"That is precisely what we are going to do," she told him. "What has happened currently, recently, and in the distant past is all due to Donovan. He is the one that must be stopped at all costs, and for that to happen we need all of the allies we can find. Even those that have made mistakes in the past," she said, directly her last statement towards Keldar. It was silent after her declaration; her words settled into their minds like heavy rocks, dragging with it all the possibilities of the next few days and what may or may not come to pass.

"Those are wise words, child of humes," a silken voice said from behind them.

As if one entity, all humans assembled in the small group watched as three very tall creatures walked slowly out from their hiding place behind the _Strahl_ with a young yet handsome sky pirate in tow. "Fran! Look who I found skulking about!" Balthier called with a grin.

Geni felt her jaw about to drop, but knowing how important this one impression could be, stiffened and turned towards the visitors with an impassive face. In doing so, she quickly greeted them, bowing while placing her right hand over her left fist. "It is an honor," she said, speaking softly; yet the amazement could still be heard in her voice.

Sora watched his sister and her surprise at the sudden guests. When he saw her bow, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye; the rest of the group was bowed as well, all except for Fran who was watching the three creatures that looked almost exactly like herself approach. "Sister," she greeted the creature in the front, who wore a pink frock with tall white ears just like her younger sister.

"Fran," Jote greeted back to her. She seemed slightly…out of place among the metal and machines.

"You have left the woods," Fran noted slyly.

"We were asked to come, were we not?" Jote replied. She turned towards the young princess. "By your hume friend."

"Thank you for coming, for making the long journey to Bhujerba," Geni quickly told Jote. "I knew it was impolite of me to ask so much of you in such a short period of time."

"For us, the time went quickly. For you, the time must have seemed endless. Young Crown Princess…" Jote began, but then turned once more. "And young Crown Prince, as well," she said, waving her hand.

Keldar's bonds were suddenly cut away from his hand, and the rope fell into small pieces at his and Goofy's feet. The anthropomorphic dog was surprised, to say the least; Keldar rubbed his wrists, alleviating the barely noticeable red marks that lined them. "Thank you," he told the Viera.

"You are welcome. Now, before I say anything further, the both of you must answer this one question of the Viera."

"Yes?" Geni answered, looking up from her bowed position.

"What is your question?" Keldar also asked them.

"Our question, to the both of you, is this: Out of the four that began the journey, the four that made the journey, and the four that finished the journey, who completed the journey?"

Silence greeted them.

"Wait…what?" Sora suddenly asked them, ending the brief silence. "What kind of question is that?"

"Hush, Sora," Fran told him softly but sternly. "Let them answer."

On the other hand, Keldar agreed with Sora. _What kind of question is this? It sounds more like a riddle. Four people started, made, and finished a journey – and the question is who completed it? This is too easy._ Keldar raised his head with pride and confidence. "I know the answer," he told them. "It's –"

"Wait one moment. Do you know the answer as well?" Jote asked Geni.

Geni was biting her lip, thinking as hard as she could. _This has got to be a trick question. Finishing a journey and completing a journey can be considered two entirely different goals. Four may have finished the journey, but not all four of them may have completed it. They could have finished the journey in different places from each other and in different ways. Or in groups._ She looked up at the leader of the Viera of the Realm, uncertain.

"Do you have an answer?" Jote once again asked her, her patience with the hume beginning to wear thin.

"I-I think so," she told her apprehensively.

"Then please, give us your answers," Jote told them. "Who out of the four completed the journey?"

"All four of them did," Keldar immediately told her. "That was easy."

"And you?" Jote asked Geni.

"I'm…not sure if any of the four completed the journey," she told her truthfully.

"What?!" Keldar said, spinning around to face her, squinting out of his right eye. "This question was too easy – they asked us questions like that in the elementary grade levels."

"But finishing and completing –" Geni began to retort, but was cut off by a wave from Jote.

"Young humes, silence."

"Sorry," Keldar murmured, hanging his head.

"I am sorry," Geni also murmured softly.

"You are both, in fact, correct. This question has many answers to it, and you have answered with the easiest and most difficult answers there are to it."

"The easiest? Which one was that?" Keldar asked her.

The Viera shook her head. "That is for you to decide, because each answer is also highly based on the person's own perception of the question as well. However, you have answered as we have expected you both to answer."

"You expected us…?" Geni echoed her statement.

"Yes. The two of you are like the Crown Princes and Princesses of the past; before you become King and Queen, you have much left to learn yet. However, you compliment each other well and balance the good and the bad in each other." Jote swiftly bent down to one knee, the other two Viera warriors behind her – the two who had stayed silent and unmoving the entire time – also bent down on one knee and saluted the two of them by placing their right hand over their hearts. "I, Jote, leader of the Viera, pledge our allegiance and support to Crown Princess Genevieve and Crown Prince Keldar, future Queen and King of the Realm of the Keepers. We give you our strength and wisdom to use as your own."

Fran openly smiled down at her older sister; never in the 350 years since she had left her forest home behind would she have ever thought that there would be a day that Viera bowed down to a hume, and that the same Viera would pledge her allegiance to a hume as well. _It is a great accomplishment indeed_, she thought to herself as she regarded the two surprised humes and three stoic Viera before her.


	36. Prelude To A Long Morning

Chapter 35

"Shh! She's going to hear you!" a frantic voice whispered.

"Come on Sora, she's sleeping like a log. A very…_heavy_ log," a quiet lower voice replied with a sigh.

"No, she's got super fast reflexes – even when she sleeps! I really don't think this is a good idea you two…"

"Sheesh, you worry too much! We won't be able to have any fun later, so now's our only chance! I mean, she's slept for the past afternoon and the entire night. She's even missed greeting all of Fran's relatives. And besides, this is payback for the last time she was here…it took me forever to wash that smell out of my clothes."

"Guys…" the first person replied in a warning tone. "Fine. But leave me out of this." Soft footsteps heralded his retreat.

Unbeknownst to the three intruders, their intended victim was slowly being roused from the deep recesses of her slumber. She had currently been in the throes of an interesting and wonderful dream; everywhere she looked she saw Paopu fruit trees, and the special star-shaped fruits themselves. It gave off a delicious aroma, a cross between mangoes and pineapples, yet with an undistinguishable scent in between them. Either way, it made her mouth water to see them so lush and juicy…just ripe for the picking.

"Mmm…gimme…" Geni mumbled in her sleep, trying to turn over onto her side.

The two vagrants who were silently tiptoeing froze in their tracks, assuming she had heard them.

"Yummy…tastes like Riku…" she grumbled to herself with a smile.

A snort escaped one of the two, forcing them to cover their face to keep their laughter from escaping. The other trembled silently, holding in their mirth. "Oh, we have got to remember that one for blackmail!" the latter whispered with a laugh.

"It seems they've hit first base then…" the first replied slyly. "Wait, hold up. Get her in position first."

"Just don't drop her yet!"

"I won't – but she does weigh like a sack of bricks!"

"Okay, okay, I get the hint." More shuffling of feet was heard, as well as another noise which suspiciously sounded like the slapping of water on stone.

"Hmm…what…?" Geni murmured, her eyes trying to open and see what the noises were. She felt so heavy and her tongue thick; _Must be that sleeping potion that Fran gave me yesterday_, she thought before yawning and trying to stretch.

The two kidnappers gave each other a surprised look. "She's waking up – now! Now!" the other said, not bothering to keep quiet any longer.

"What?" Geni asked, blinking her eyes open, just as she felt her body flying through the air. Her eyes immediately opened all the way, just in time to see Vaan and Kytes grinning and waving at her.

_Splash!_ Her body dove under the water, sinking quickly. Geni flailed her arms around, gasping in water instead of air. She quickly tried to clear her fuzzy brain and discover what exactly happened, when she felt her rear hit the bottom of whatever pool of water she was in. Shaking her head, she closed her mouth and sprang up from the bottom of the pool; luckily for her, it was only about seven feet deep or so.

Breaking through the surface, she encountered Kytes and Vaan laughing so hard they collapsed on the side of the enormous bathroom floor. The only person that appeared concerned was Sora, who had been leaning over the edge with a worried gaze, but which quickly turned to a large smile when Geni broke through the surface. She coughed for a moment, spluttering as she treaded water, before quickly swimming to where Sora waited.

"Good morning," he said with a sigh as he helped his sister to rise out of the pool of warm water.

"Hey…S-sora…" Geni replied with a smile, shivering. She was only in her nightclothes, after all.

"Here," he said, magically producing a large towel from behind his back to cover her with. "Alright you two, come and help; I think she's gotten the point."

Geni stood up with the enormous towel covering her, her hair plastered to her back and forehead, and she shivered slightly in the cool air. "I take it…that this was payback…for dipping all of your clothes…in Chocobo dung?" she asked the two of them as she shivered.

"And for many other things, but this is the only one Sora would let us even try to get away with. He had to distract everyone by telling them that pool is being cleaned," Vaan told her with an evil grin.

"Riku was the hardest to get by though," Kytes spoke up as he came and stood next to her, with Sora on her other side, as they helped to dry her off. "It was one of the rare times Sora could get him to leave you and go get some sleep."

"N-not surprised," she told them, drying her face. "And t-thank you f-for the l-lovely wake up c-call."

"Anytime," Vaan and Kytes said with all too cheerful smiles.

"Let's get you back to your room before your duty-bound nurses realize you're gone," Vaan told her, gently leading her towards the door of the public bath. It _was_ enormous, for the most part; the pool was at least thirty feet across and seven feet deep in the middle, where the edges slowly raised up towards the edges of the pool. It was all covered in smooth granite, which was colored mostly white with tiny pieces of crystal inside of it which released rainbows over them when the light hit them. As it was, it was already quite bright inside of the room with the large floor to ceiling windows on the far side which gazed over the edge of the floating continent.

As Vaan carefully opened the door, he looked up and down the hallway, listening closely. "No one – let's go." The four of them quietly slipped out the door and walked the short distance that Vaan and Kytes had just carried Geni back to the room she had been sleeping in for the past day and a half. Vaan ushered the three of them in while he kept a look out, before falling in behind them and closing the door softy.

"We made it," Kytes said with a laugh.

"At least I'm awake now," Geni told them with a small smile. However, she yawned at that moment, her mouth opening wide enough to see her molars. "Sorry," she said sheepishly after she had finished. "By the way, how long was I asleep? I remember after meeting Jote that we came back here, changed the bandages, and then Fran gave me something to drink. I think it was a sleeping potion…"

"Oh yeah, it was," Sora told her. "That was yesterday afternoon. Now it's nine in the morning."

"Wow, I guess I was still tired yet," she told them, her cheeks flushing a slight pink.

"You were sleeping like a _log_," Vaan said. "Sora came in here and even knocked over the table –" he pointed out the small table in the center of the room "– and you didn't even flinch. I know King Mickey and Riku were a little worried, but Fran told them that was normal for the strength of the potion she gave you. She wanted to make sure you were completely healed before you woke up."

"Hmm…really?" Geni said absentmindedly. She looked over her arm, noticing the lack of bandages, her ankle too – as well as the lack of scarring. She had Talyn to thank for that, besides Fran, Penelo, and Kairi. Speaking of which… "Where is Talyn, by the way? I didn't see her land with us yesterday, and Fran rushed me off too quickly to see."

"Talyn? She's sleeping in the skygrounds at the moment, I believe. She was worn out from flying so much and so fast in the last two days that it caught up with her. She should be awake soon anyway. And speaking of soon, we're going to be departing this afternoon for the capital, so make sure you two have everything you need for the trip back," Vaan told them. "I have to go and lead some of the preparations, but there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry, and you're clothes are washed and clean in the wardrobe. I'll tell everyone you're awake," he finished, motioning for Kytes to come with him.

"See you guys later!" the younger sky pirate called as he closed the door behind him, leaving the twins alone in the silence.

They stood across from each other, unsure of what to say. The last time they had really talked was after Geni revealed to them she was a Keyblade master as well, and just before she traded herself for Kairi and was taken to the Infinite Canyon for her execution of supposedly performing Donovan's evil deeds. Geni remembered Sora's kind words to her, even when King Mickey was fuming.

"Sora, I'm –"

"Geni, I'm –"

They both spoke at the same moment, the tension immediately erasing from the room as they laughed at their silliness.

"Sora, I'm sorry for not telling you everything, even until the end. All of you had the right to know what I knew."

"It's okay," Sora said, taking a few steps forward towards her. "We all know how hard you've had it around here, and us bursting in unannounced probably didn't help matters either. Besides, you will always be my sister, no matter what happens, okay?" he told her as he gave her a big hug.

Geni smiled, moisture building in her eyes. "Thanks Sora," she answered softly in a choked voice as she hugged him back. "I don't know what I did to deserve a brother like you."

"You didn't have to do anything – it's called _unconditional_ love for a reason; we may argue, and we may fight, but that doesn't mean we don't love you any less – no matter what the reason or what happens. Riku had to learn that too – after everything that happened with Kingdom Hearts, remember? No matter if he thought he wronged us or not, he was just doing his best to save Kairi and then make his wrongs right. There was nothing to forgive."

"It's hard to rely on others sometimes, isn't it?" she murmured into Sora's shoulder.

"Sometimes," Sora agreed. "But even if you don't they are always there."

"Always," a tiny voice agreed from behind them. Geni unwrapped herself from her brother's warm embrace and turned, her cheeks slightly wet. King Mickey, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy stood in the doorway smiling at them. King Mickey came forward, and Geni knelt to the floor to greet him. He pulled out a small handkerchief from one of his many pockets and dabbed at her face. "No matter what, we will always love you. And like Sora said, we are only mortal – we argue, we fight, we get angry – but nothing changes the fact that those only affect the surface of our feelings for one another. You will always be my daughter, nothing can change that. And I will always come to rescue you from your nightmares and your enemies."

"King Mickey," Geni sniffed, before hugging the tiny mouse king to her chest with all her might.

"It's alright," he told her gently as he patted her head. "Now, seeing as you are up and moving and…wet…wait, why are you wet?" King Mickey asked her in confusion.

She hiccupped and laughed at the same time, this time with tears of laughter. "Kytes and Vaan just woke me up, that's all. I was just about to change."

"Are you feeling better?" Riku asked as he came and stood beside her.

"Much. Thank you all," she said, looking around the room.

"Well, once you're dressed, Fran, Balthier and the others wanted to discuss some items with us. We'll wait for you in the dining hall," he told her as he motioned for her to put him down.

"Oh, sorry," she told him with a blush. Geni gently put her foster father back on the floor and he about faced to shoo the rest of the humans and other anthropomorphic animals out the door. "Hurry up you two," he called to Riku and Sora.

"We'll be around the corner if you need us," Sora promised her as he ran for the door.

Riku looked down at Geni, her hair still damp and the towel still wrapped around her wet night clothes. "I'll wait outside," he told her with a smile.

"Thanks Riku," she replied, and watched him walk towards the door and slowly close it behind him. Sighing, she quickly walked into the small adjoining bathroom and washed up – considering she had already taken one bath that morning. Undoing her braid, Geni quickly brushed out her soft but spiky hair, retying her braid and adjusting the spikes around her face until she looked normal once more. Tossing the wet clothes into a small basket, she bounced back into the room and donned new undergarments, quickly followed by her tan puffy pants which she hurriedly pulled over her feet and tied at her waist. Following that was her asymmetrical top which she pulled down and over her head; unfortunately, it got stuck in her hair and couldn't get it down. "Stupid…shirt…come on!" she huffed, before flailing in her rush into the wardrobe and knocking down several other pieces that were in there.

Riku waited patiently for her to finish, listening to the water running in bathroom. When that stopped, he heard muffled noises around the room until he rushed for the door when he heard something crash. Thinking it could be intruders from the capital, he rushed in. "Geni, are you al-?" he paused. He couldn't take his eyes off of the scene, yet he was blushing like mad.

When he had rushed in, Geni had stood up and was just pulling her shirt down over her. Riku happened to see the length of skin up her back, which was a soft tanned brown like the rest of them (because of living in a tropical paradise, obviously). Time slowed to an almost standstill as she continued to pull her shirt down, unawares of her audience for the time being.

However, Riku noticed two strange markings between her shoulder blades; small symbols, oval in shape but with intricate markings inside of them, extending from her spine towards her shoulders. "…Geni…?" he began, his finger involuntarily lifting to point at her.

Geni whipped around, her shirt completely on, but her blush turning her face bright red. "Riku!" she said, embarrassed. "I didn't hear you come in." Her flushed face immediately changed to that of concern. "What's the matter?" She saw him pointing at her, confused.

"What…what was that on your back?" he finally asked her, speech returning to him.

"My…back? Oh, you mean the two tattoos?"

"Tat…tattoos?!" he spluttered. "Aren't you a bit young for those?"

She laughed at him, walking towards him. "Well, it's not like I had a choice. It's part of a permanent spell."

"Permanent spell?" he echoed.

Geni nodded. "Yeah – for my wings." She stopped in front of him, and immediately turned around. Flipping her braid over her left shoulder, she turned her head towards him. "Put your hand between my shoulder blades," she instructed.

Riku tentatively reached forward, his fingers brushing against the fabric flush against her skin. He started towards the middle of her back between her shoulder blades, but remembered that the tattoos were closer towards the top of them. His hand brushed up the center of her back until he suddenly encountered several bumps on her skin. "What?" he said more to himself, mystified. His fingers gently traced the right tattoo, feeling the raised lines of her skin. He followed the curved shape, which looped down under several bumps before tracing back inwards inside of what he figured was a feather.

Geni shivered, remembering how sensitive that area was on her back; it tickled a bit, but felt so good as Riku's deft fingers explored first her right tattoo, then her left. The skin itself was raised slightly under the black markings, more like a scar than a tattoo. As Riku investigated yet another uncovered secret – but something that was not much of a secret – Geni almost began to purr in delight. Her eyes half closed, and she shivered in delight once more.

Riku noticed this almost cat-like response from her, and smirked. He decided a little payback was in order for the harrowing rescue she put him through for the last two days. He leaned in closer, his hands splaying over the two blackened areas which he could feel but not see. His breath ghosted warmly over her neck as he spoke into her ear. "Feels nice, doesn't it?"

Geni opened her eyes, a flash flood of crimson coloring her entire face. She froze as she felt Riku continue to almost massage the middle of her back. Her body, traitor to her will, leaned back into his fingers and warm hands. She closed her eyes, leaning back into Riku as he rested his head on her shoulder. "I really should get dressed," she murmured hazily to him, turning her head to nuzzle his cheek.

"Mmm…they can wait, can't they?" Riku almost whined, but in a pleasing way as he wrapped his strong arms around her.

"Now, now," she scolded him softly. "We have an enormous task ahead of us. We can spend as much time alone as we want to later. Alright?" she told him.

"…alright." He reluctantly let her go, and watched as she headed towards her wardrobe once more. From within it she produced her leather chest armor, lowering it over her head before fastening the ties under arms.

"Um, could you help me with this? It's a little hard to do," she asked, blushing.

"Sure." Riku walked over as Geni raised her right arm to drape it across her chest. Gently taking the leather straps in his fingers, he tied each of them until three neat knots rested flat against her side. Nodding in satisfaction, Riku walked around and went to tie the other side, which had six sets of ties to be tied down. As he was halfway through, his hand brushed her side, making her tremble. "Are you okay?" he asked her with a smile.

"Just…tickles a little," she told him truthfully.

Riku quickly finished tying the rest of the leather straps and admired his handiwork. "It won't come undone anytime soon."

"Thanks. Now for the rest of it." She walked back to the wardrobe and retrieved two leather arm bracers, which she quickly strapped to her forearms and tied behind them. She also slid several thick metal bangles up her right arm until they rested on her biceps. As well, the small pouch that she always carried at her side was strapped to her waist – she patted it to make sure her precious items were still in there, the other half the holder for her staff Songuraita – which was actually her Keyblade. She did not add the ornamentation that she had in the capital – the blue sash and the colored paneled skirt. The last item that she put on rested within a drawer towards the bottom; it was a collar for her neck, stiff with the metal band hidden inside of the soft brown leather but gently worn down. She clicked it open and put it around her slim neck, clicking it shut and adjusting it so it was comfortable. "There – that's all of it, for now."

"For now? You look like you're ready to…to go to war," Riku finished in a sad voice, all playfulness and mirth gone.

"Well, that's about it. But we'll be donning more than this before we reach the capital. You've…never been in a _real_ war, other than with the Heartless, haven't you?" she asked him shyly, turning around as her right hand rubbed the leather bracer on her left arm up and down in a worried manner.

"No…have you?" he asked her, stepping towards her.

"I've only relived them," she said in a quiet voice. "To learn from past mistakes, and those of the outside universe, the students are put under special spells that allow them to take part in previous historical battles. They feel the pain, the death around them, the stench of rotting flesh as their comrades fall by their sides…but all they can do is feel it…they cannot feel what is it like to actually _die._" She withdrew into herself, her fingers digging into her arms as she bowed her head, blinking back tears.

"But you have," Riku stated, quickly wrapping his arms around her. "At The World That Never Was…in the blitzball stadium…fighting me…at those times you almost died – you felt yourself slipping away, right?" he asked her.

Geni did not reply, but suddenly turned and threw herself into Riku's arms, crying quietly into his chest. "Shorty," he said quietly, stroking her hair and whispering gently to her. "You're still here though…you promised me yourself that you would never die, not by someone else's hand. And none of us will let that happen again…not as long as we have the power to protect you."

"But what if I can't protect you? Or anyone, for that matter?" she spoke into him. "What if I fail…what if I don't have the strength to finish this? Everyone is expecting me to –"

"To do your best," he finished for her. "And that's really all anyone can ask of you. You aren't perfect, by any means. No one is. And no one should ever have to shoulder such a burden as you've been carrying these past twelve years. Let us help you carry that burden – we're strong, we can handle a little added weight," he told her with a chuckle.

A small giggle escaped, and she pounded on his chest with clenched fingers. "My life was never meant to be normal, was it?" she murmured to him, remembering her previous conversation on the same subject.

"No, none of ours were," he agreed. "By accepting our destinies with our Keyblades and intertwining them with Kingdom Hearts, we chose a non-normal life. On top of the regular worries of being a teenager," he added, as a side thought. "No come on, dry those tears and show the world the warrior you are." He pushed her away from him, her tears fresh and her eyes red.

"Warrior?"

"We are the Keyblade warriors of darkness; Kairi and Sora and the Keyblade warriors of light. Together, we make quite an invincible combination, don't you think? Light and dark together, I mean."

"Two halves of one whole," she murmured. "Completing each other."

"Exactly." Riku held up his right hand in front of her, and it was surrounded by a bright light. He held up his left hand, and it was surrounded by a dark energy. "We are the only ones in the universe who carry both sides of the battle within us."

Realizing what Riku meant, Geni smiled, and held up her own hands. Her left hand glowed a brilliant white, and her right hand delved into the darkness. Placing them against Riku's, the darkness and light in both of them combined, surging through them. Smiling a sad smile that only the two of them could decipher, they allowed the power to retreat back into their bodies. "Thank you," Geni told Riku softly as she looked up at him with a brighter smile than before, her tears long gone.

"Anytime. I still feel myself slipping every once in a while, so I know that it helps to remind yourself of what is truly important." He coughed politely. "I think we've held them up long enough, don't you think?"

Geni wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Let's go."

"Yeah." Riku began to head towards the door, Geni following quickly after him. He held the door open for her, and they hurriedly made their way to the dining hall at the other end of the estate. A few moments later, as they turned the last corner before they would find themselves before the large set of double doors, they found Fran waiting for them.

"You are late," she said dryly.

"I'm sorry," Geni told her, dipping her head in embarrassment.

"Since you have been asleep this whole time, Jote has been growing more impatient to speak with you. The other Viera elders are with her as well, and they will be asking you many a question. Answer truthfully, for they will know when you are deceitful. Your friends and family are sitting within as well. You will sit with them at the end of the table," she said to Riku, "while you will sit with them at the head of the table. Do not speak unless spoken to, and please, _please_ hold your tongue. You will get angry with them, I know you will."

"I will behave myself Fran," Geni insisted. "I always do."

"I know," she replied, giving her a tiny smile. "Now, prepare yourself." Fran turned around and opened the door and nodded to her to go inside. Holding herself high, Geni stepped in with nary a sound.

Seated around the enormous dining table were creatures of all races. Humans, Viera, talking anthropomorphic animals. At the closest end to Geni sat King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy on one side, will Kairi and Sora sat on the opposite side of them with one chair open for Riku. He quickly walked around and took his place beside Sora without a word. Next to them were Vaan and Penelo, with Balthier on King Mickey's side of the table with an open chair next to him for Fran. And finally, filling up the last two chairs on each side of the table were Jote and three other Viera. They looked as if they had seen many more years than their young visages appeared. And, lucky enough for her, the last chair at the very head of the table sat open and waiting for her to sit in it.

The small boom of the door as it closed startled Geni out of her musings, and she quickly walked to the head of the table and sat down in the chair, folding her hands before her.

It was silent for a full minute before anyone at the table spoke. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence," Jote told Geni, a frown tugging at the bottom of her mouth.

"I do apologize," Geni said, dipping her head towards her. "Please forgive me for keeping you waiting for so long."

"All Viera have _is_ time, child of humes," a Viera on her right told her with a twinkle in her eye. "Now, we know what we are here for, and of course you must know what we are here for. The only ones who do not are the three Keyblade wielders at the far end of this table who do not fully understand their part in the prophecy of old." She looked down the table. "You know of this prophecy, King Mickey, I presume?"

"We do," he said politely. "We translated as much of it as we possibly could, although some of it may be incorrect. Am I to assume that we wrongly translated a portion of it, therefore not knowing its full extent? There were sections we could not understand completely, of course."

"You are correct," the Viera next to Jote said next. "Young hume, would you care to disclose the entire prophecy for us?" she said to Geni.

Geni looked down at her family, noting their inquiring expressions. Taking a deep breath, she began:

_"Light and darkness, life and death. These attributes combine to form the essence of the Keyblade, the tool by which we are sworn to protect the worlds'. These attributes are also the causes by which we have almost destroyed the worlds'. Each side swore to bring peace, yet all we brought in that effort is destruction. And so, the Keyblade War was fought across the universe, physically outside of and inside of the heart. Those few who sought to end the war knew that only one path could eliminate all strife: to remove the Keyblade and the need for its use._

_In the end those few were successful, but the consequences were great. In order to abolish the need for the Keyblade, two events had to occur: the creatures from the deep darkness must be sealed away, and the worlds separated. Four of the greatest wielders of the time sacrificed themselves for this task; they used the power of their life-force, of their hearts, and of their Keyblades to forever seal the creatures of darkness behind the Door To All Hearts, and to destroy all the connections between the worlds so that each world would remain unaware of the others, no matter how close they were. Their names were lost, along with the memories._

_However, before this great sacrifice, a vision was had by one of the four. This is her vision, written word for word as she spoke it – for if this vision one day comes to pass, it will truly mean the annihilation of the universe._

_'Many years from now, four from the islands of destiny like ourselves will come forth to battle the deep darkness, which will have escaped with the help of one who seeks their dark power. They will once again walk the old paths, bridging the worlds to once again join as one. Also, like ourselves, these four will control the most elemental powers of the Keyblade: a Keyblade of light, a Keyblade of darkness, a Keyblade of life, and a Keyblade of death. Two will control powers of light, while two will control powers of the darkness. They will work together to save the worlds from great perils; to save the ones connected to the hearts of all things, to keep the ones without hearts from entering the realm with hearts. For a time, there will be true peace once again among all worlds as they connect to one another once more._

_Nevertheless…one of the wielders will unwillingly be used by the one who opened the door to darkness to betray the other three, and in doing so begin to break the fragile bonds they had forged together one by one. The four will quickly break apart; distrust, anger, and betrayal a wall between them. This wielder of the Keyblade will control part of the power over the darkness, but unlike their dark counterpart this wielder ­­­unknowingly contains the power to release the deepest darkness that the universe has ever witnessed. This power, once accessed and utilized, will consume the wielder in a fiery storm of shadowy power and spread across the universe, swallowing everything in its path, leaving an empty void for all eternity.'_

As she finished her declaration, she heard the quiet as loud as a thundering train rushing through her ears.

"It was us all along," a soft voice said at last from the end of the table. Geni looked up to see her twin looking at her with the same sad but confused expression. "_Four from the islands of destiny'_ – the Destiny Islands. The four people who sealed away the darkness, who separated the worlds…they came from our islands."

"That is correct, young hume," the Viera across from Jote said to him. "It is why those islands have always been protected – it is the place of our ancestors. The last link we had with the outside universe."

"Wait though…" Riku added, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hasn't this prophecy already come to pass?"

"Already?" Sora questioned his best friend. "What do you mean?"

"_The one who opened the door to darkness_…that's me, isn't it? I opened the door back on the Destiny Islands…I'm the one who started the whole mess with Kingdom Hearts in the first place…"

"Not quite Riku," King Mickey quickly interjected. "It also said that _'the four will quickly break apart; distrust, anger, and betrayal a wall between them'_ – I don't think any of those emotions was between any of you. I know that you distrusted Sora for a time, and even thought he betrayed you and Kairi, and that you were angry, but that was all one sided. The three of you never stopped being friends throughout the entire process."

Riku winced at the king's honest words. _He's right though_, he told himself.

"But the end of that prophecy never came to be. You never unleashed the deep darkness upon the universe. And we knew of three Keyblades with light, and one with darkness, not two and two," Kairi put in.

"Very astute," Jote answered dryly to their conversation. "You are correct – the prophecy has never been fulfilled…at least, until now. The four wielders from the islands of destiny – Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Genevieve, the wielders of light – Sora and Kairi, and the wielders of darkness – Riku and Genevieve. We also know to a certain extent who wields light, life, darkness, and death."

"You do?! Who are they?" Riku suddenly cried out, standing up and slapping his hands on the table.

Jote looked at him with a piercing gaze, not at all pleased by his outburst. "The girl Kairi wields the Keyblade of life, Sunset Blossom, obviously. Which means Sora wields the Keyblade of light. On the other hand, the Keyblades of darkness and death are not so easy to decipher. Both of your Keyblades have traits of both."

"In other words, we only know who specifically wields the light and life Keyblades, young hume," the Viera across from Jote said to Riku.

"Oh," he said, embarrassed, and quickly sat down.

"You have no idea whatsoever?" King Mickey asked them, frowning.

"Unfortunately we do not. Which is why it is important that we discuss recent events in thorough detail, to see if we can discover each user's true identity." Jote turned her gaze towards the quiet girl at the head of the table. "Now, you will tell us everything. From the beginning of your memory."

Geni looked up at them, startled. "…everything?" she repeated quietly.

"Is there something you wish to keep from us? From those who would potentially be your allies?" the fourth Viera said, finally speaking in an exacting tone.

Geni looked down the table, watching the gazes of those who knew…or thought they knew…her the most. "No…no, not at all," she replied complacently. Taking a deep breath, Geni began to retell her life story from the beginning, of her dual lives…at least of what she could remember.


	37. Reliving The Past

Chapter 36

"My first memories come from Radiant Garden, before it became known as Hollow Bastion. The Mouri's, my first foster parents, cared for me like their own daughter, although they had just lost their only child to the first attack from the Heartless on Radiant Garden. I grew up with them until I was three years old…that was the time that I learned of everything that had happened upon my arrival and everything that would happen from then onwards.

It all began on a rainy afternoon, when Aerith was looking after me while the Mouri's were at a meeting. She, Yuffie, and Leon had taken me to the town market to shop and had given me a coin to toss into the fountain – an easy distraction for a three year old. As I laid my doll on the step to the fountain, I reached over the water to drop my coin in. However, as I did, I saw something standing on the other side of the fountain. I couldn't tell what or who it was through the water, but it beckoned to me. Thinking it was one of my friends, I threw my coin in, grabbed my doll and jumped down, running around the side of the fountain. As I did, the figure began walking away towards one of the side alleys, and I followed it without thinking another thought.

When the figure finally stopped, I was out of breath on my short legs and had dropped my doll a while back in order to keep up. However, when the person turned around, I became afraid: an enormous Heartless had taken the place of the person in black, and it came after me with long, sharp claws. I turned and tried to run away, but the Heartless jumped and pinned me to the ground." Geni paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. Unconsciously her hand drifted upwards and placed itself over the disfiguring scar on her chest, her reminder of that particular encounter. "The Heartless seemed to enjoy seeing me struggle, so it slowly clawed through my chest, towards my heart. All I remember was a searing pain, like I was being torn in two. After what felt like hours, but was only mere seconds, I heard the shouts of Leon and the others. They pulled the Heartless off of me and destroyed it, but not before it had gained part of its goal."

"Half of your heart," Jote stated, as if she had heard this story millions of times before.

"Yes. When I woke up next, I was in the hospital. I had been asleep for over a day, and had machines and magic helping to keep me alive. The Elder of Radiant Garden was there as well, and he explained to me in a kind voice what had happened. He told me that none of the doctors, the nurses, or even he could explain what had happened, but that everyone was going to help make me better. For that matter, I didn't leave the hospital for almost a month.

I did not have any energy. I tired myself sitting up in bed so much I didn't even try to get up and walk. I was pale and weak, and thought at that time that I would soon die – anyone who had ever been attacked by a Heartless had, so why would I be any different?" she said with a bitter laugh.

_She remembers it all_, Riku thought to himself with a pain in his chest. His heart clenched to hear her speak about the past; both of them had difficulty speaking about it, so the Viera forcing her to relive all of this made him furious. He clenched his fists underneath the table, his knuckles white.

Geni continued. "After three weeks, the doctors did get me out of bed and walking around my hospital room; at first I couldn't take more than a few steps before my legs would collapse from weakness. By the end of that week, though, I could walk around for about five minutes by myself before having to return to my bed. I suppose the only good thing that came from it was that I discovered I had magical abilities; I could turn my toys into different objects, for instance, and make objects fly through the air. It was entertaining, but it drained my energy even more than simply walking around would as well. However, at the end of the first month after this ordeal, King Mickey came to Radiant Garden. It was at this same time that I first learned about how I had come to Radiant Garden as well.

I had never met a creature like King Mickey before, a walking talking mouse, but since as I was slightly shorter than he was, I figured he wasn't much older than me. How wrong I was when I found out that he was the king of another world. He offered me an escape from my solitude; people visited me all the time, but being a three year old cooped up in a hospital bed all the time was my idea of fun either. He offered to let me come and stay at Disney Castle; I would learn there like I would at a normal school, but he also offered to teach me the art of magic and other things as well. He told me I could learn to use the power I had to help other people.

It didn't take me more than a few minutes to decide to go with them, on the condition I could come back and visit my family on Radiant Garden. When I arrived at the castle, it was a bit daunting for such a little girl. However, I met Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy who immediately took me under their care and showed me around the castle, to my room, and introduced me to a few of the castle's other children who might be my future playmates.

As I settled into life at the castle, I was cooped up in my room or the library for most of the day when I was in my lessons. The other times I would be with Queen Minnie learning about their world, or with Lady Daisy when she taught me my lady lessons, Donald who taught me the beginnings of magic, and Goofy who helped me to learn to defend myself. About one month later, it was decided that I was adept enough at magic to begin taking lessons from Master Yen Sid at his tower. Using one of the gummi ships, Queen Minnie and I traveled there one morning and spent several hours with him as he questioned and tested me; seeing my current intelligence and adaptability and how far it would take me. Early that afternoon, we finally left after he had learned hopefully all the answers he would need, after confirming that he would also teach me. However, on our return trip from his tower, a sudden gravitational anomaly without warning pulled the gummi ship off of its course back towards the castle and towards a glowing hole in the middle of space, near a world called Twilight Town. The ship spun and rocked, none of the navigation or steering working, and finally I was thrown out of my seat and knocked unconscious.

When I awoke later, I was in an elegant room which – strangely enough – had no windows. A brilliant crystal chandelier was lit high above my head, dimmed by a billowing canopy above me. As I tried to sit up to look around, I became extremely dizzy and fell backwards onto the bed. A strong pair of hands caught me, and I looked up to see an older woman with graying hair looking down at me with a smile. She asked me how I was feeling; I told her besides being a little dizzy, thirsty. She picked up a glass of water from the table next to the bed and helped me to drink from it. When I was satisfied, she introduced herself as Hisako. At first I was worried, and inquired to the whereabouts of Queen Minnie; she told me she had just stepped out for a moment. She immediately frowned, though, and told me I had to answer one question from her before I could see her.

She asked me one and only one question: _Child, answer me this one question as truthfully and as honestly as you can. If I told you that you could come and live here, where I live, but be able to train your mind and body so much so that you can make up for only having half of a heart, would you?_

I thought about it hard for a few minutes, trying to weigh my options as best as a three year old could. I finally told her that it sounded like fun, but I wasn't sure about leaving my family. She then told me the one condition about my staying here: that I must make my decision without knowing what I would learn, what I would be trained in, or knowing anything about this place at all. I had to follow all of the rules, and had to follow whatever instructions were given to me – including those which concerned how I would live my life. Plainly, if I wanted what she had offered me, I had to accept it blindly and all of the consequences that came with it. She told me I could have all the time I needed, but after a moment I shook my head. I told her I accepted her terms and conditions, but Queen Minnie later added a condition: that I would still be able to see to go home and see my family. At that point she laughed at me, but I didn't understand why. It was then the door opened to the room and Queen Minnie came rushing in to see me.

After that not much else happened. I slept for a day or two longer until I woke, and found that I could stand without being dizzy. Queen Minnie and I were then escorted to meet the woman from before, and found ourselves in a large room with the older woman and another dozen people. Since I was almost as tall as Queen Minnie, everyone in the room seemed like giants to me; I hid behind her, afraid. The woman came forward and offered her my hand, which Queen Minnie assured me that everything was alright. Upon taking it, she led my forward in front of the crowd of people. I don't remember much about the room we were in, but I remember the Queen kneeling down next to me and placing her hands on my shoulders as she introduced me.

She told the people in the room '_This is Genevieve. She will be living here with us from now on, when she is not living at her own home. She will study with us, she will work with us, and she will train with us as if she is one of us. And someday, she will be one of us. Please treat her as one of your own.'_ Several people came forward and said some polite greetings to me, but at least half or more of the people ignored me or even left. I looked to the woman next to me in confusion, and asked her if I had done something wrong.

She told me no, and apologized to me. When I asked her why, she told me that some people will not like me here, no matter how nice of a person I am. She also told me that I should call her by her true name, Dowager Queen Hisako – but Queen Hisako was good enough for her. This place was called the Realm of the Keepers, and that the city they were in was its capital city. Soon after meeting all of the people in the room – which I would also later find out were high members of the Imperial Council – her majesty took Queen Minnie and I to meet an old friend of hers, and to the place I would be staying at when I spent time there.

We were escorted to an area with many small buildings, but where I could see many older people like the Queen. At one indistinguishable house, we stopped, and the Queen went up and knocked on the door. Within a minute an even older woman opened it, leaning on a wooden cane to support her in her old age. It was the first time I met Madame Lirona, who took me in and cared for me like her own family. However, I found out later that there were two reasons why I stayed with Madame Lirona, and not someplace else: the first, and most obvious, was that she supported the Queen in her decision to allow outsiders into the Realm, and secondly that she had noticed that I had a musical inclination. She took me under her arm and showed me how to rise up in this world and earn the respect of everyone around me; she forced me to work so hard that I absolutely hated it sometimes, but I thank her for it every day." Geni paused for a moment to clear the lump in her throat, before continuing her story.

"And so my life continued, as if nothing had ever happened. Queen Minnie and I returned to Disney Castle and I resumed my life there, while every night I would come and resume my studies and training here in the Realm. As the Queen had predicted, I was not the most welcome sight among the masses. Many people agreed that the Realm had no need of any outside contact with the worlds outside of the Realm, although as the descendants of the Keybearers and Keybearers ourselves, the people of the Realm had a duty to protect the universe from the darkness. This continued, no matter the sentiments of the majority. I believe that when I was six years old, when I had been living at Disney Castle and traveling to the Realm for three years, that the turbulence had finally hit its peak.

As I said before, I was not…completely welcomed here. When I was at either the Queen's or Lirona's side, I was safe and protected. No one would dare say a word to their face. However, when I traveled by myself within the city, attended my classes and training, the other students would ridicule me for the slightest error, and the adults asked for tasks to be performed that no six year old – no matter how strong or smart – could accomplish. With my handicap as well, even though I was slowly overcoming it, made it even worse for me to endure the ridicule and derision. The only friends I had made were with a ferry worker, Jalin, and the two mermaids who worked with him. He also protected me when I was with him, and many times he allowed me to help drive and work the ferry as a distraction from the cold stares I received. As it was, I did not tell Queen Hisako or Lirona about any of it, and so when the pressure finally exploded, they were not expecting it.

I had finished my classes for the day, and was cleaning out the cubby that housed my things, when suddenly many large shadows loomed up behind me. As I had just finished packing my things, I put my bag in my cubby and slowly turned around. There were eight of them, girls and boys from the upper grade levels – and whose parents I recognized as nobles and members of the higher classes." Geni closed her eyes, taking a slightly shaky breath.

"Are you alright?" Fran said to her in a soft voice.

"She is fine. Go on with your story," Jote interrupted her in a harsh tone.

"I apologize sister," Fran said, looking down at the table. Balthier looked livid, but kept his mouth shut.

Geni looked up at Fran, blinking once, conveying her thanks inaudibly. "They shoved me against the shelves, taunting me, before they began hitting me. I tried to reason with me while trying to protect myself, but all they would call me is a 'boorish outsider' and 'scum of the universe' and other not so nice names. However, a few minutes in, I heard one of the teachers call out and come into the hall, which made them stop. I didn't bother to stay, which probably would have been smarter, but I got up and ran outside as quickly as I could. I had left my things behind, but they would have slowed me down anyway.

I remember running towards the ferries and the canals, knowing that if I could reach Jalin's ferry, I would be safe. However, somehow in my confusion, I got lost and went into an abandoned part of the market that was only busy during the unloading early in the morning. After a few minutes I heard them running after me, calling for me, so I tried to run faster. It was hard to breathe, but I kept running anyway. I took twists and turns, trying to lose them, but I ended up heading into a dead end. The only door there was locked, so I was trapped when they blocked the alleyway. When I tried to run, another boy I had not seen blocked me and threw me against the wall. From there on, I don't remember much of what happened; all of them began hitting and beating me, using the words they had learned in school to control basic elemental spells and use them to torture me further. After one particularly hard kick to the back of my head, my vision darkened, and I heard a voice call out to stop them. After that, I passed out from the pain; I only woke momentarily when I found myself being carried to the Healer's Pavilion, before passing out once more." She once again paused, composing herself before continuing. However, before she could, one of the Viera to her left interrupted her.

"Who found you?" the first Viera who had spoken asked her. "And didn't something happen during the time you were unconscious?"

Geni nodded. "Somehow I used magic during that time; it was told to me later that I had sat up, even with my injuries, and released some kind of power from my hand to blow all of them away – which in turn made them run."

"And who had found you, and took you to the Healer's Pavilion?" the Viera prompted her.

"Keldar did," she replied in a quiet voice. She quickly continued on, seeing Riku's irritated expression. "When I woke up later that night, I found both Queen Hisako and Madame Lirona sitting on chairs on either side of my bed. There were also Guards posted at the door – two that I could see, and several more in the hallway. They were quite relieved when I woke up, and quickly asked me what happened. At first I didn't want to tell them, to make them worried, so I told them I had tripped and fell down the stairs. When both of them frowned at me, I realized that they knew I was lying. Furthermore, when the Queen then had a Guard usher Keldar into the room, and had him repeat what he had found, she once again asked me gently what had happened. Knowing I was caught in my lie, I told them the entire truth.

After I had finished, the Queen only asked me one more question: she wanted to know if I recognized the children who had hurt me. When I told her I could, she smiled at me, but I could tell that she was furious. She quickly told me that she would speak with me later once I was feeling better, and left the room. Lirona stayed with me after that; she never left the room, and Guards were always there as well. Keldar came to visit me a few times, now learning who I actually was. His father was ranked high in the Imperial Council and Defense Assembly, and was adamant about not letting the 'outsider' be in the same school as his son. Since he had never met me before, he thought I must have been some kind of strange creature or monster. As soon as he began to talk to me, we became somewhat like friends.

I was released from the Healer's Pavilion after a day, my injuries completely healed – although I was still very tired. The Queen and Lirona sent me home with Queen Minnie, explaining to them that I was not to return until I was sent for. They explained to her what had happened, and although she was outraged, she understood that it was for my own good. I did not return to the Realm for an entire week, and when I did, things were greatly changed. From then on, no one spoke to me, not one word. The only ones who did were the Queen, Lirona, my friend Jalin the ferry worker and the mermaids who worked with him, and Keldar. My teachers only spoke to me because they had to, as well as when I was training with the other students in weapons practice. There were no more mean names, pranks, or attacks; I couldn't tell if it was worse or better than before.

Several months after that, since I was progressing faster than expected through my studies, and completing my training in magic and battle skills, Lirona and a team of healers had to travel past the Beast's Rest and attend to an epidemic that was spreading in the villages and towns in the south jungles. Both the Queen and Lirona thought it would be a good idea to get me out of the capital for a while. Both of them, I found out later – as usual – had apprehended the student's responsible for the attack on me, and charged them and their families by taking away their higher status' within the Imperial Council, Defense Assembly, the Academia, the schools, and the business districts of the capital – as well as lowering their nobility and aristocratic status. It was, of course, blamed on me, and they pleaded innocent.

Either way, we headed down the Eastern Waterway through the mountains, and arrived at the first town within a day or two. The Healer's began to work right away, assisting the sick and dying. During that time a group of traveling merchants from Bhujerba happened to stop through the town. Lirona seemed to know them, and so we boarded their airship, which was called the _Strahl_. Aboard it were four people at the time: three humans and one much taller person who had very tall ears and claws. These people were kind and full of laughter; Lirona called them sky pirates, but they didn't seem like the pirates that I had read about in stories that looted and plundered cities and burned down towns. While we were with them for the day, the younger two – a boy and a girl – showed me the workings of the ship and how to navigate the air currents.

I had so much fun with them that when it was time to head back to the healer's, I didn't want to go with Lirona. The two of them even took me outside of the ship and let me fly with them through the skies while they used a spell to create wings on their backs. I begged them to show me how they did it; they were dubious at first, but the strange eared woman gave me a long look, and after a few minutes she declared she would teach me. While the _Strahl_ was flying back to the village, the woman introduced herself as Fran. She took me to a larger storage room in the back of the ship and began showing me the secret of how to have a pair of my own wings."

"Which you succeeded in performing, and at such a young age and in such a short amount of time as well," the Viera next to Jote stated. "A remarkable feat for one so young and so impaired. How long did the entire process take?"

"A few hours. By the time we had reached the village we had left the healer's at, I was hovering around the room inside of the ship. I was extremely tired but proud of myself, but wondered why everyone was so surprised at me when I did it. I loved my new wings – they were so clean, so white, that they sparkled in the sunlight. I was so happy to be praised by them, and for the first time felt like there was a place I truly belonged in the Realm.

However, when the ship landed, we found the village in flames and many of the Healers injured. They told us that a local power monger had taken all of their medicine to sell it to the other towns and villages for an outrageous price. There were also soldiers stationed in the village, holding the Healers and the townspeople for ransom until they could pay their master. The four sky pirates were cross at hearing that their trading grounds were being encroached upon, not even minding the safety of the people and the Healers. I thought they were selfish, but Lirona reminded me that they couldn't do anything without having any of the hostages hurt in return. Instead, they tried to leave to bring back help. While doing so, the soldiers grabbed me and tried to take me away. I kicked and screamed for help; Lirona quickly and without another thought told the soldiers that she would stay in my place, and that I would bring the money and goods they were asking for.

When Fran pulled me onto the ship, and I saw Lirona being forced into a building with the other Healers, I cried for her and tried to get out to her. She looked my way and smiled, and waved goodbye to me cheerfully as she disappeared. I thought I would never see her again alive, but Fran promised me we would bring back help. This would be my first trip to Bhujerba. As soon as we arrived, Fran introduced me to Nono – who was slighter shorter than me now. All my thoughts were occupied with the Moogles while the four of them mounted a task force to reclaim the villages taken over and free the people. Within a few hours we left once more, and headed back towards the village. By now we had been gone for the better part of the night, and we arrived just as the sun was dawning. I had slept the entire ride back, exhausted from worry.

When I awoke, it had just begun. Although someone had draped a blanket over me and closed the thick door, I could hear fighting noises from outside of the ship. Although I was frightened, I knew I had to go and find Lirona and the others who had come with us. Quietly and stealthily, I made my way to the front hatch of the ship and jumped down onto the grass. Everywhere I looked there were people fighting; there was a lot of blood too, which made me nauseous at first, but which I quickly looked passed it in order to run through the midst of the chaos to the building I had last seen Lirona being marched into. When I ran into the building, it was so dark my eyes couldn't adjust right away, but I heard someone call my name.

I ran towards the sound, my eyes slowing adjusting to the darkness, and when I ran into a set of cold metal bars, I gripped them tightly and stared into the faces of dozens of people locked in like animals. However, to my relief, a hand suddenly brushed at my face and the tears I had unknowingly been crying. Lirona reassured me that she was quite alright, and that I had to be brave and help everyone there. She told me that their guards had placed the keys for the cells on the other side of the room high on the wall. I turned, and saw the light from the open door hitting the keys…which were sitting up on a nail, the height as least as twice as tall as I was then.

Looking around, I saw a large crate sitting near the wall, and ran over and tried moving it. It barely budged, so I knew it wouldn't work. Looking around, I found a smaller box which I dragged under the nail. I stood on it and reached as far as I could, but I was still several feet too short. I ran around the room, hearing the fighting growing louder, as I collected small odds and ends to use. The people in the cells eventually began to help me, pointing out items I could use. After putting together a small set of steps made up of boxes and crates and buckets, I carefully climbed up them. Grinning, I grabbed the keys that were directly in front of me and turned around to try and climb down my treacherous mountain. However, as soon as I did, someone ran in the building and shouted at me. Startled, I lost my footing and began to slip. So I did the first thing that came to my mind: I used the spell Fran had just taught me. Brilliant white wings suddenly sprouted from my back, allowing me to glide down to the floor. As I landed and stumbled to my feet, I looked up to see the shock of everyone staring at me, including the man who had run in with his sword held high.

He slowly walked towards me, his sword held in front of him, ready to skewer the tiny girl in front of him. Scared, I backed away, tripping over one of the boxes from my miniature mountain, my spell dissipating as quickly as it had come to me. Lirona screamed at him to leave me alone, prompting the rest of the captives to do the same, throwing objects that were within their reach at him. Undaunted, he continued to approach me until he froze, and I heard a gurgling noise. Since his body blocked the light behind him, I couldn't see what had happened until a soft _whooshing_ noise came from his midsection and he fell to the ground in front of me, a puddle of blood forming around him.

Balthier stood directly behind where he had been standing moments ago, a sword pointing downwards towards the floor. Ever so carefully he stepped around the body and came towards me. Kneeling down, he smiled and asked me if I was alright. Nodding in shock, he helped me to stand and we unlocked the cells, allowing the prisoners their freedom once more. Lirona quickly embraced me, shielding me from the sight of the unmoving man, and took a roll of bandages out of her pocket. Immediately she wrapped my eyes several times, tying it just above my braid on the back of my head. Grabbing my hand I heard her begin to walk towards the door and soon felt the warm morning sunshine on my face. It was quiet outside; the only sounds the occasional chirping of birds and soft talk among the adults.

Lirona and Balthier escorted me back to the _Strahl_ where I spent the rest of the day until the bodies were removed and sent to a funeral pyre a small distance from the village. I was left by myself without a word until she returned, a tired but happy look on her face. I had been watching the sun set outside of the small round window when she walked in; she immediately came over to the bed and enveloped me in her arms. The only words she spoke to me I had never heard from her as of yet: she told me how proud of me she was, and how brave I was to run through the battle to come to the rescue of all of the people there.

That man was one of the only ones to die that day; the only other two were the Marquis who had ruled like a dictator in the region for decades and the commander of his private army of soldiers for hire. The rest of them were sent to the Lhusu mines as punishment to dig for fuel for the airships for the rest of their lives. With the aid of the sky pirates who distributed all of the goods and money the Marquis had collected over the years as well as the medicine, the Healers finished their duty quickly and within two weeks. When they did finish, our last stop was back to Bhujerba.

Vaan, Penelo, Fran, and Balthier as well as Lirona spoke to the elders who governed the sky country, and vastly made improvements to the governing of it. Vaan would take the Marquis' place, but all of his decisions would be ratified through a group of people underneath him. Fran and Balthier would stay around to help him out as well. Their first order of business was deciding what to do with me; so far, no one from the capital had ever succeeded in performing the spell I had achieved in a few short hours, and no one who had ever performed the spell had been able to do it successfully in that small amount of time as well. There was also the fact that I had white wings, which was usually a symbol of great destiny among the legend and lore of the sky pirates. It wasn't as if they had any intention of revealing this information to anyone – at least, anyone outside of the southern cities.

Upon our return to the capital, Lirona made sure that none of the Healers with us would say anything about seeing me perform the spell, but who had all gained a newfound respect for me. This would be the beginning of my working with them at the Healer's Pavilion in my spare time, which would later lead to the Nurturing as well. I wouldn't see my friends in Bhujerba for many months following that, until a semiannual trip was made to check in on the cities that had been infected.

In the years between my first visit to Bhujerba when I was six years old, to the time I turned fourteen years old, nothing much of importance occurred beyond the fact that I graduated from the lower schools much earlier than my peers and entered the Academia to study music under Lirona's tutelage. It was my full intention to become her successor and take over as the head of the music branch of the Academia until I was chosen as one of the dozens of people to begin the compatibility testing. Since nothing is spoken of it, I did not know what it entailed – this also being a part of the bargain I agreed to with Queen Hisako ten years before. I would enter the arena once a week and battle my opponent until I thoroughly defeated them without knowing why.

However, the week before I was to have my final match, I was at my other home at Disney Castle. It was at this point that I becoming thoroughly aggravated with both of my lives; I felt overprotected and childish while at the castle, and required to follow every rule and order given to me without objection or question in the Realm without knowing even why. Added onto that were the visions and dreams I had of Sora, my previously unknown twin. As I premonitioned his adventures, as well as King Mickey's sudden departure, I felt left behind and weak…even though I knew that I was just as qualified to save the worlds from disaster just as much as they were. Since I could not tell anyone this, my frustration continued to build and build. The day I ran from Queen Minnie was the day I met Axel…and the day that I joined Organization XIII."

"The group of thirteen Nobodies which tried to enter Kingdom Hearts, correct?" the Viera next to Jote asked her sharply, more a statement than a question.

"That's correct. That day darkness entered my heart, and replaced the half I was missing. I could not…overtly control my body, just watch. I will admit, I did…horrible things while I was being manipulated by the darkness. The least of which was attacking Donald, Goofy, and Sora."

"But that wasn't your fault!" Sora suddenly exclaimed from the end of the table, unable to control himself any further. He stood up, glaring down at the high and mighty Viera. "This is enough! Why are you subjecting her to relive every important event of her life, both the good and the bad? Why are you forcing her through this when you can see that she's suffering?!"

"That's enough Sora," Jote said icily. "This is for her own good, to determine the true nature of her Keyblade. I would ask you that you please keep your own thoughts to yourself or _leave the room now_. Understood?"

Sora slowly lowered himself to his chair, staring down Jote with blazing eyes. "Fine."

"Continue, if you please," Jote said with a tired sigh as she turned back towards the head of the table.

"Yes," Geni answered her, her heart clenching for Sora. "After one year within the Organization, Sora ran his Keyblade through my heart and dispelled the darkness within it. I was freed from the Organization's control, but my heart was put under such immediate strain that I collapsed immediately. I spent a day recuperating at Hollow Bastion before the four of us returned to Disney Castle. When I returned, I was greeted as if I had never left, although Queen Minnie let me know discreetly that the Imperial Council wanted to see me as soon as possible. That night after a welcome home party, we used the portal in Queen Minnie's chambers and I appeared before the council. Besides telling the council what had happened to myself in the past year, I was informed of the recent events in the Realm – from the past seven years.

Queen Hisako had gained much favor from the masses for participating with the outside universe, although my defection had given much support to those who disagreed. The trials of compatibility had continued as well, until there was only one left to finish. I would battle to determine whether or not I should have all memories of the Realm erased from my mind, or be allowed to stay and continue where I left off. I was forced to fight Keldar on double terms. I won, but only by a little; my last punishment was to be sent back to the castle with most of my injuries unhealed, surprising Queen Minnie to say the least. We erased everyone's memories of who saw me until I released them a few days ago before we left the capital.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy left on their quest to find King Mickey once more as well as Riku. In the middle of their newest quest, while I was on a short trip to Hollow Bastion, Maleficent mounted an enormous attack on the city and sent hordes of Heartless to invade it, the Nobodies following quickly after. They caused enormous earthquakes to shake the city, collapsing buildings and bridges. When I ran out to assist Sora, who had been injured, I was tricked on my way back to the interior of the city by Maleficent. I proceeded to fight with her, but one of the earthquakes caused rifts to form in the ground and I caught one of my feet in them. I tripped, nearly breaking my ankle, and Maleficent used her magic to destroy the bridge high above us and let it fall on me while I was trapped.

As it fell, I was knocked out by a piece of falling debris. However, when I awoke, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had found me a distance away from the massive amount of mortar and stone, with some of them cleanly cut in half. He carried me back to the city, where I healed my injuries before going back to the castle and they continued on their journey.

The last event was when Sora and I both discovered the location to The World That Never Was, which was in the basement of the same mansion that Sora woke up in after sleeping for one year. The three of them entered the non-space first, making it through the gap between the dimensions with the help of Axel. I followed a short time later, also assisted with the last bit of power Axel had left. It seemed I was always a few steps behind them, until I caught up to all of them – King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Sora, Kairi, as well as Ansem the Wise – on top of one of the platforms adorning the castle speaking with Xemnas. Just as Ansem the Wise's machine exploded, we were blown back by the force of the heart data shooting out from the machine. I fell down the stairs, and was captured by Xemnas and transported to the top of the castle.

As strange as it was, Xemnas knew one of the secrets of Kingdom Hearts: that the purest of hearts could open its doors. Since his original plan failed thanks to Ansem the Wise, it was his backup plan: to use the Song of Release to offer up my own heart to Kingdom Hearts instead. However, it appeared that Xemnas did not realize that I only had half of a heart; Axel, in his own rebellious way and in revenge for what the Organization did to Roxas, never told him that. He allowed the darkness in my heart to mask the truth above me.

As I finished singing, all I remember is a bright beam of light shooting from the ruined moon-shaped heart high above me. I remember…a sharp pain in my chest, where my heart was, but after that nothing but darkness. I could not feel anything, nor hear anything, nor see anything. It was if the world around me had ceased to exist. I can't remember how long I was there, but for some reason I didn't feel like I had died…my body, my heart, my mind…they were all waiting for something – like I was frozen in suspended animation.

An eternity later, I saw a pinprick of light high above me. It was so weak, it looked like it might blink out. I tried reaching for it, but my arms felt as if they were made of stone. Even so, the tiny point of light began to grow larger and larger, until I was suddenly enveloped in an explosion of light and touch. I could immediately tell that I was cold, and lying down somewhere; I could hear people's muffled voices all around me, but I couldn't decipher what they were saying. I tried to move, tried to do something, to catch their attention. The only thing I could move for a moment were my eyes, which I could only open partway. Even so, blurred images were all that greeted me, splashes of vibrant color on a dull landscape.

However, something warm suddenly gripped my arm and placed itself on my back, helping me to sit up. I tried to blink and clear my vision, but all I could see was the outline of a face with jagged edges around it. Slowly, my vision cleared and I could see Sora looking at me with a worried expression. I said his name slowly, my mouth feeling as if it hadn't been used in years, and I remember him barreling me over as he embraced me. As soon as he did, I felt whatever heaviness that had been holding me down lift off of me, and I could move and speak again.

When I could stand, I found that although I felt weary and tired, my body had a certain lightness to it. I was overjoyed to find out from everyone that I had a Nobody named Cirèna who had kept safe the other half of my heart, and had returned it to me only a short while ago. I was finally a whole person once more.

Thinking that Xemnas was defeated, we all began to leave through the last dark portal that Naminé opened for us. As Kairi and I walked through it, it suddenly collapsed behind us and cut off Riku and Sora from us, stranding them on top of the castle in The World That Never Was. We had been teleported back to the Destiny Islands, on the shore of the island the three of them always played on when they were younger. I tried sending a retrieval spell after them, but I doubt it ever got through. However, three days later two stars fell from the sky. Somehow Sora and Riku returned through the Door to Light back to the islands."

"The Door to Light…" one of Viera mused to herself.

"But not the door to Kingdom Hearts?" another asked, looking down the table.

Sora and Riku both shook their heads. "No. It was a bright light shaped like an opening door, but nothing more than that…it was too bright to tell," Riku explained.

"I see. Please continue," the Viera next to Jote asked Geni.

Geni wet her lips, her mouth dry and parched from speaking for so long. She couldn't remember the last time she had spoken this much; not even speaking at the Academia was ever this long. "When we came back to where the three of them lived, their parents were greatly relieved to find them all safe. It was also at that moment that I learned I was the biological daughter of Sora's parents, the Akeno's. They disclosed to us that due to financial problems, they had made the hard decision to keep Sora with them and put me up for adoption. However, I somehow disappeared from the hospital's nursery without ever being adopted. So I still do not know how I came to be floating in a fountain in Radiant Garden.

Even so, the Akeno's accepted me into their household without a doubt or questions. I lived there for the past summer, occasionally traveling to Disney Castle, until the last month before school started there when I took a long trip to stay there for a time. As usual, I traveled here to the Realm for a visit. However, the happy visit and reuniting with my friends her was not what I expected it to be, because when I came back I found out that Keldar and I had both been accepted to the positions of Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the Realm. We had been chosen as the next rulers of the Realm, and one day would be joined as one as well. I was furious and outraged, to say the least. I even went so far as to storm in to one of the Imperial Council's daily meetings."

"A risky maneuver, to be told," Jote said a bit sarcastically, as if mocking her daredevilism.

"Not enough to warrant any punishment, however. When I threw open their doors and stomped my way to the podium, the entire assembly quit speaking. I mounted the steps, with no one trying to stop me, and was just about to speak when Queen Hisako stopped me. She immediately said to me, _'So you've heard then. Well, what do you think?'_ It stopped me cold in my tracks, and the harsh words I was about to say to her died on my tongue. She waited for me to say something, hushed murmurs echoing around me from the council members, waiting to see my reaction.

The only question I could think of at that moment was why? Why me? So that is just what I asked her. _'Why did you pick me, of all people? I am very sure there were more qualified candidates than myself.'_

_'You doubt our judgment,'_ she quickly quipped back at me, almost accusatory.

_'No, not your judgment – mine. I could never be the kind of ruler you need me to be. I love the outside universe, my other homes, too much to ever leave them for here, even though I love this place just as much as I do the others. I would worry about my family and friends while I am here, and not devote myself wholly to the people here. My heart cannot be split and live in two universes at once.'_ I was honest and told her what I felt – I was honored to have been chosen, as anyone would have been, but I could not be in two places at once.

However, Queen Hisako also pointed out my other reason for refusing her. _'Your family and friends are not the only ones you would have to leave behind. Your future would not solely belong to you, but to another as well. You do not wish to give up this freedom.'"_ Geni's eyes flicked down the table so quickly one could have barely noticed, except for those carefully watching her facial expressions.

"Queen Hisako was right. I had more reasons for refusing, more reasons that I was willing to admit out loud to numerous people who still yet did not trust me fully. It was at that point that I heard heavy steps alternating with the tap of a cane follow my footsteps down the aisle behind me, and came to rest beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked down at Lirona, who only had her eyes on the queen. She only spoke once to the queen, saying _'Let us be momentarily – I will bring her back with me.'_ She squeezed my shoulder and led me, turning us around to walk back out through the enormous double doors leading into the private meeting hall.

She took me to a small but private sitting room just down the hall from them, and sat me down. She looked at me, and asked the same question the queen had, albeit phrased differently. _'Why do you not want to be Queen?'_ The way she asked me was more personal than the way the queen had; while the queen had asked why I wanted to rule over the Realm, Lirona asked me why I wanted to be the queen herself, not the ruler. Many years before that, she had explained to me that Queen Hisako had two roles to play: the first as ruler to the Realm, making decisions and looking after the welfare of her people, and the second as Queen, to have a family to continue her lineage and prolong the Realm's duties as Keepers.

I looked down at the floor below us, analyzing the crosshatchings of the rug below the table that separated us. I looked at anything but her, until her next question caught my full attention. _'Why do you not want to change the world for the better? You could do so much, yet you choose to refuse an opportunity that could prove everyone wrong.'_

_'This is not an opportunity,'_ I told her right away. _'It is a role I am being forced to accept without any choice whatsoever.'_

_'Only because you cannot be with the person whom you care for more than any other,'_ she immediately barked back at me in a disconcerting tone. _'What does love matter in a political marriage? You would marry him not for love, but for the betterment of the Realm. Consider all of the good you would do. What good would it do you to dwell on something that could never change?'"_ Geni stopped this time; her hands on her lap were gripping each other so tightly that her knuckles were white, her fingers numb from the lack of blood. Her heart was racing, the rest of her blood pounding through her body and thundering inside of her ears.

"…and?" Jote prompted.

With a straight face, Geni looked towards the Viera. "I stood up and slapped Lirona."

Several soft but audible gasps were heard around the table. "Please explain your actions further," the Viera directly across from Jote asked her in a tight lipped voice.

Blinking her eyes slowly, she could still remember that day in every single detail. "…I slapped Lirona across the side of her face; I remember, it left quite a red imprint on her pale skin. I shouted at her, saying things that were neither right nor the truth about her and about me. After a good fifteen minutes of allowing me to rant, my throat ran dry and it hurt to say any more. I finally sat back down on the chair, breathing heavily, and waited for her reaction. She had not said one word the entire time, and so I knew that she was ready to ream me out for my outburst. However…that never came. When I looked up at her, all I could see was the hurt, sadness, and disappointment on her face. The hardest thing to see was the pitying look, the look of compassion, which emanated from her eyes…like she knew how I was feeling.

She carefully stood up, leaning on her cane, and walked carefully towards the door. Lirona only stopped momentarily, to tell me one last thing before she left. _'After all that work…I am so disappointed in you…'_ Then she opened the door and left." She looked down at the table, reliving that day once more in her mind. "I couldn't believe what had happened. She would always scold me, telling me when I did something wrong, showing or telling me what to do to fix it. Whether it was in school or when I tried to make dinner for us the first time, she would always shout at me, say something, _do_ something. But she just left after saying it to me. Nothing more.

I sat there for at least another half an hour, trying to wrap my brain around her actions, until I realized what she had done. She had let me choose myself; she had treated me like an adult, entrusting me with her faith in me, and allowing me to finally make a decision once for myself. I had dashed it with one fell swoop, and figured I had lost whatever hope and trust she had put in me to begin with.

Then it came to me. Lirona had probably hoped that this would have happened since the day I was dropped onto her doorstep. She had believed that I would make a difference in this world, and maybe other worlds too. She also had wanted to give the chance to explore the universe and visit other worlds like I had to her students at the Academia and the people of the Realm. She wanted to release all of you from the cage that had confined you and your ancestors for the past millennia. However all of that had come crashing down when she had placed all of her confidence in a fifteen year old girl. It was then like I felt slapped, slapped into realization of what exactly I had just done.

I shot up and ran out of the room, running down the halls looking for her. I searched the building high and low for her, finding and apologizing to her my top priority. Lirona had somehow walked all the way to the top of the private assembly hall, where there was a small garden overlooking one of the canals. As I burst out onto the terrace, I saw her gazing out over the city. We were so high up that I could look down onto the central marketplace, the inner waterway, and all of the businesses around us, and still be able to see where the housing sections of the city would begin.

Lirona did not turn around and greet me, but ignored me to keep her watch. I couldn't think of anything except receiving her forgiveness for my stupidity, like a person in the desert needing water. So I dashed over to her and threw myself at her feet, prostrating myself before her and apologizing for my inexcusable actions towards her. I babbled out to her what I had realized downstairs after she had left, telling her that I had never meant to betray everything she had ever given me.

After blurting out a last apology, I waited there, my heart pounding as I stared down at the warm brown stones underneath my hands and face. Lirona was silent for many minutes, letting my knees stiffen on the stone as I knelt motionless in front of her. Just as the sun peaked, radiating its last rays of light before disappearing for the night, I heard her sigh, and turn to face me finally. It was at that point that Lirona first told me about her husband."

"She had been married?" the Viera directly to Geni's left said with evident surprise in her voice. "I have never heard of such a union. According to capital law, she would have had two children by her age as well. Yet she never had any other heir except for yourself. Please explain this."

Geni, for the first time since this discussion began over an hour and a half ago, defied the Viera and shook her head. "I cannot."

"You will tell us hume – you agreed to those terms before we began, to disclose all relevant information to us," Jote said, her eyes narrowing at her.

"I cannot and will not tell you," Geni said once again, looking calmly into each of their faces. "Lirona put the matter behind her hundreds of years ago, and only told me because of the situation that was at hand. She made me swear to her under Words of Power to never speak of it again to anyone unless it was her or the Queen. I will tell you this though: what Lirona told me changed my mind in that instant. Ten minutes later, we reentered the assembly hall and I gave my word to the Imperial Council that I would uphold their laws and abide with the battles for compatibility, and take my place as a Crown Princess of the Realm. From that day forward, I assumed more duties and responsibility as the heir to the throne along with Keldar. I was not completely happy with it, nor ever would be fully, but I swore to them up and down that I would do anything to protect the people here, no matter what it took. Unbeknownst to the council, that also included Bhujerba and all of the lands and peoples to the south of the Beast's Rest as well."

"You did not indulge them of your status here as well?" Jote asked her in a mildly sarcastic tone. It seemed her earlier interest in her had disappeared, when Geni and Fran had spoken to her in the mines.

"No. Lirona and I had deemed it necessary for the process to continue that I reveal as little as possible about my relationship with Bhujerba." She cleared her throat. "Either way, I remained her in the Realm for the next seven months until it was time to return to the outside, to Disney Castle, and the make my final trip to Destiny Islands. The Imperial Council had granted me that much – that I would have one month of outside time to say goodbye and tie up any loose ends before coming to stay in the Realm permanently.

The few days before the school year started for Riku, Sora, and Kairi were tense; I couldn't…no _didn't_ want to tell them that within a month I would never see them again. When the first week of school began, I felt so out of place, like an outsider once again. Even so, I tried my best to fit in while trying to find the right time to tell them that fitting in wouldn't matter. As typical teenage girls are apt to be who have no worldly or universal knowledge, there were several of them who tried to make life miserable for me. I ignored them, blending in with the crowd, but on the day before I was to come back she challenged me to a blitzball game. In doing so, she cheated and I was trapped within a safety protocol that was installed to assist players, not trap them. As I tried to free myself, I ran out of air and was unconscious within moments. When I next awoke, I found the coach of the blitzball team had given my resuscitation – he told me later that although my heart still beat within me, I was not breathing, and if I didn't soon I possibly could have died." Geni said the last few sentences in a monotone, almost bored voice, as if she encountered death on a daily basis.

"After that nothing of major importance occurred, until King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy arrived with their translated version of the prophecy from when the worlds were originally separated. Thinking it was related to the mysterious Keybearers that had been appearing in secret, he set out to enter the Realm of the Keepers. As soon as they had lifted off in the gummi ship, the Realm sent a portal directly to the same beach. A girl named Selphie was the only person who knew I had left, and I told her to tell the Akeno's that I would have everyone back before their school began again in three days. After a slight detour, I arrived in Dawn Dwellings in my own apartment complex. I cleaned myself up and made myself presentable, donning my warrior's garb and holstering Songuraita. With the other warrior's the Queen had chosen, we made our way into one of the side halls of the amphitheatre and waited for the signal. While we waited, I was welcomed back by many friends and colleagues, who were curious to know why the Queen had asked them to come. They knew there were strangers who had entered the Realm, and so everyone had their hoods and cloaks covering themselves.

I watched from the shadows as the six of them were brought before the lower dais, and Queen Hisako emerged to sit on her throne. Besides her, I was probably the only other person who truly knew what was going on. Even so, when the signal finally came for us to assemble in front of her, I didn't know what to expect. In all outside requests before the Queen, the guests are required to send in one fighter towards a randomly chosen warrior from our grouping. I didn't know who would be chosen anymore than anyone else did. I could feel the uneasiness of everyone around me; they could sense the Keyblades and their power from within King Mickey and Kairi, and especially Sora and Riku. Everyone had heard of their escapades with Kingdom Hearts, the false Ansem, and Organization XIII, even though they had never laid eyes on them.

When the choosing sphere was released, I tried my best to seem insignificant, as if the sphere would pass over me if I did. However, my worst luck was realized when it stopped right over me. Everyone congratulated me, although many knew and hoped I would have to fight Sora, at least, knowing he was my brother. Their hopes came true when Riku came forward. Even so, I knew I would have to fight someone whom I cared about. When we began the fight, I tried to wear him down and take him out from a distance, as to cause the least amount of damage. However, when Riku surprised me through his Thundaga attack, and caught me unawares, I knew that my disguise would no longer do me any good. So I released Songuraita from its place at my hip and waited for the worst to happen.

I did not throw the fight, although my heart was not completely in it. Riku won, and we were instantly transported to the Healer's Pavilion to receive emergency medical attention. Neither of our wounds was all that serious, so even that afternoon we could go back to where I lived for dinner. As we walked through the streets outside of the central market, we caught Jalin's last ferry towards Dawn Dwellings where my current residence was. Once there, I found that everyone had thrown me a welcome home party with all of the works. Luckily enough for me, I found out later that Keldar was still at the palace with Her Majesty and wouldn't arrive until the end of the party. However, he did arrive earlier than I had expected, and Elwen accidentally let it slip that he and I were betrothed now. I had been planning to tell everyone myself later, after they had relaxed from the party, but tempers flared between all of us and I did not see them again until the following morning at the Academia.

After lecturing to the music students for four hours straight, we went outside to the commons to eat lunch. However, that was also interrupted when Queen Hisako's entourage entered with formal decorum and asked that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were to meet with her, as well as everyone else," she said, looking down towards the end of the table with a forlorn look on her face. "That was when everyone else figured out the last bit of truth: not only was I to marry Keldar, he and I were to be the next king and queen as well. After which they went off to the archives and Elwen and I went to meet with Lirona about our studies.

The rest of the afternoon and evening proceeded as planned, ending with everyone at the palace to have dinner with Her Majesty just before the ceremony which would separate Sora, King Mickey, and I were to take place. That also proceeded as we had planned, fulfilling all of the duties necessary for me to complete my transition to living her permanently. However, I was called away suddenly to the Nurturing when one of the Caretakers became ill suddenly. Obviously I left immediately and spent an hour or so there before an emergency message was sent to me from the palace. Of course, the six of you had followed me to the Nurturing, and straight away followed me back.

When I had arrived, the Elite Guards protecting Her Majesty's chambers began to attack me. I felt darkness emanating from their armor, and as soon as I defeated the first I found that there were no humans inside of the armor, only wisps of darkness being controlled by someone from within the palace. I burst through the first set of doors, running through the halls towards the Audience Chamber, when I met the other set of Elite Guards at its entrance. As I began battling them, Sora and everyone else showed up and assisted me. While they defeated the Guards, I ran towards the doors and with Kairi's help pushed them open. Upon entering…" Geni cleared her throat, coughing softly. "Upon entering, I found Queen Hisako dead upon her throne. I…lost control of my emotions for a few instants, and…Sora and Riku had to restrain me momentarily.

However, it was at that moment that Donovan entered," Geni practically snarled, life coming back to her and replacing her sadness induced trance. "He admitted to killing her, as Lirona's pendant showed, but also tried to kill me as well. However, Lirona stepped in front of his curse, effectively saving me but killing herself. As she lay dying, she told me something that I still do not understand, no matter what reference materials and knowledge sources I look into."

"What did she tell you?" Jote asked her, slightly intrigued.

_"On the night before the end, look to the Glory flying past the moon and stars to show you the way."_

"What does that mean?" Sora murmured, loud enough for a general consensus.

"I have no idea," she admitted with a shrug. "When we arrived her in Bhujerba, I started checking the migration patterns of animal groups, in particular –"

"Unicorns," Fran suddenly interrupted.

Geni nodded. "Especially after having met that stray one in the forest before the mountains. These days no unicorns travel by themselves unless it is out of desperation, fear, or necessity."

"And you believe that his coming to you was a sign of what Lirona told you before she died?" Jote asked, one of her eyebrows raised in question.

"Partially. I know that everything happens for a reason – there is no such thing as coincidence," Geni told her confidently. "But I also believe that whatever is going to happen will happen whether we like it or not. Hence since the ships are flying from Bhujerba this afternoon tonight will mostly likely be the night that Lirona was referring to."

"It is a possibility," the Viera on Jote's right admitted. "However, we shall stop this conversation here."

"Why? Don't you want to hear the rest?" Sora suddenly blurted out. He quickly shut his mouth, biting his lip, afraid of angering the Viera any more than he already had.

"We know the rest of your journey already," Jote told him deprecatingly. "Now please leave us – you all have much to do before this afternoon's flight, I believe. Fran, stay here."

"Yes sister," Fran said, sitting back down in her seat after just beginning to rise. She turned to Balthier. "Please help them prepare for the journey."

"I will," he promised her, giving an evil look towards her older sister. "Let's go, you lot."

"Will you need me to remain?" Geni asked politely of the Viera.

"No – you may go as well. However, do not leave the estate, for in the case that we do have a few more questions for you," the nicer Viera across from Jote told her. "Thank you for sharing with us all that you did – I apologize that we forced you to relive some unkind moments from your past."

Geni shook her head as she stood, stiff from sitting for so long, her throat parched and dry. Her eyes held a faraway and tired look to them, as if she hadn't sleep much at all. "It is alright. Please excuse me." She walked towards the door closest to her, separate from the one she and Riku had used to enter, and closed it quickly behind her.

Balthier quickly ushered the rest of the group out from the meeting, hearing the Viera beginning to speak in their own tongue just as he left. He worried his lip a little, angry at the other Viera – especially Jote – for treating Fran as an outsider still. He shook his head; he had another female to think about now. "Geni?" he called down the hallway, taking off after the retreating figure. He called behind him, ushering the others to hurry up more. "Come on – I don't want her to be alone right now."

Riku agreed completely. He had assumed he would hear things that Geni had not revealed to them that afternoon, and he was right. He also had something to ask her, something he had strangely forgot about since leaving the capital. He was the first to catch up with Balthier, and Sora just behind him. As they neared the opposite end of the large estate house, he saw Geni disappear behind a door to his left at the end of the hall. Stopping in front of it, Balthier tried the knob, but it wouldn't budge. "Geni! Geni, let us in this instant!"

"I'm fine Balthier, really! And I'm not letting you into the powder room while I have to use it. I'll be out soon enough, so just go ahead and start packing," she said in an even voice through the door, putting in just enough articulation to possibly belie their uncertainties.

"Now come on! We know you better than that! All nine of us do!" he said with added emphasis, looking around behind him. "Everyone here is worried about you."

There was no answer to this, only the sound of running water.

"…Geni?" Balthier called, worry edging into his voice. His eyes narrowed. "Young lady, princess or not, open this door now or you will have an angry sky pirate on your hands!" he threatened.

"Go away! I said I'm fine!" she shouted at them.

"Come on Geni, just let us in," Sora pleaded with her, stepping up to the door.

"You can tell us what's wrong," Riku added, standing next to him. They shared a look, anxiety evident in their eyes.

Someone sighed behind them. "You know, you'll never get her to come out that way."

The three men at the door turned around and saw a young man with jet black hair pulled back into a small ponytail staring at them as he leaned against the wall, an amused smirk almost plastered onto his face. His deep chocolate colored eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement as well. "Who let you out of your cage?" Balthier _snarled_ at him.

Keldar pushed himself away from the wall, strolling through the middle of the group. "She's just as stubborn as her brother, if you hadn't noticed. Sometimes you have to use a little force with her," he told them as he raised his hand up to the door, palm flat against it. Suddenly, the door exploded into thousands of tiny splinters, coating the group and the hallway with dust and mortar. As the group coughed and tried to clear the air in order to see, and shriek of disdain could be heard as well as harsh stomps reverberating on tiled floors. "Here," Keldar said through the dissipating cloud.

"Put me down you oaf!" someone shouted angrily. As the dust died down, a snort of laughter was suppressed. "Shut up!" Geni hissed, blinking her eyes. She was covered in dust and wood and dirt from the explosion Keldar had used to break down the door. He was also currently holding her up by the back collar of her shirt, well over two feet off of the floor. In her pitiful state, she could remind someone of a kitten in her father's mouth being carted off somewhere. However, clearing the dust on her face were several evident streams of water, clear indications that she had been crying in the restroom all along.

"I will not put you down until you allow someone here to pry under that hardened shell of a defense mechanism of yours." She thrashed all the more, trying to free herself from his grip, but to no success. "We all know how much it hurt to talk about all of those things."

"He's right," Sora told her, stepping up to look up at her. He smiled, assuming that his weaknesses were probably hers as well – if it could get her to loosen up and trust people a bit more. "Lirona was right before – you are a crybaby."

Sora was right, but only partially. Geni stopped struggling at least, her hands flopping to her sides. However, all she did was clam up even more, looking down at the floor to let her hair cover her face. She bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood, not wanting to give anyone else that satisfaction of seeing her cry. "Put me down…please," she said once more, this time soft but firm, her vision still pointed towards the ground.

_Whoops_, Sora thought guiltily. _Wrong thing to say_.

Balthier felt like smacking himself on the head. _Way to fan the flames, look-alike._

Riku rolled his eyes at Sora. That's a second score for giving him a dictionary for the holidays to have him memorize the definition of tact.

Keldar shrugged, and lowered her to the ground. Geni immediately began walking away in the opposite direction, her steps focused and silent. "Nice going Sora," he said, verbalizing the rest of the group's thoughts. "That should have been the last thing to bring up. Now she'll go and lock herself in a different room."

"And you're not breaking down anymore doors," Vaan told Keldar, frowning at the damage he had wreaked. He sighed. "Well, she's not leaving the estate at least – she'll comply with the Viera. However, I don't want her left alone now. Balthier – you, King Mickey, Penelo, Goofy, Donald, and I will begin to finish prepping the _Strahl_ as well as beginning to coordinate the rest of the fleet. Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Keldar – we need Geni to be ready to lead her fleet this afternoon, in body _and_ in mind. I want you to go and find her and just stick around. _Don't _say anything to rile her up again," he said, looking directly at Sora. "I hate to say it, but we need a strong and true leader – not someone who's regretting their past actions. Whatever you have to do, convince her that none of this has been her fault, which is exactly what I know she's thinking right now." He sighed once again. "She's probably in her room from before, so check there first. We have to go, but I'll be sending Fran and Penelo to ready her once Fran is done with her sister."

"Right," Riku said with a nod, turning and pushing Sora the other way. "We'll be ready."

"I can walk myself," Sora protested as they turned the corner. "Besides," he said, his smile dropping, "it's not like I meant –"

"I know Sora. You were only trying to help," Kairi told him with a smile as she entwined her hand with his and gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Geni's just being…a girl," she told him, almost in surprise. "You know, ever since we did come here, I've seen more emotions out of her than I ever had back home. It's almost as if she's more of herself here, for some reason."

"You know, you're right," Sora told her, a thoughtful look coming over his face. "Before we came here, she ways always so composed and mature. She never really cried or let anyone see when she was weak. But now…"

"Don't forget how much the Queen's murder and Madame Lirona's murder has affected her," added a foreign voice from behind them as they walked. Sora turned around to see Keldar looking at the curtains on the walls. "All three of them were really close, you know. The Queen was more like a mother to her, and Madame Lirona a grandmother. They raised her and taught her everything she knows, planning for the day when she would ascend the throne after them."

"It seems unfair that they decided her future for her though," Riku told him, voicing Geni's same words from only a while ago.

"How else would they protect her though? If they didn't place her in the position to receive the greatest power in the known universe, what else could they do? They knew they weren't going to be around forever."

"I suppose so…" Riku trailed off, seeing as they were finally outside of Geni's room. He walked up to it, knocking on it softly. "Geni?" he called. "Geni, we're coming in." He carefully tried the doorknob, and surprisingly enough it opened with a _click_. The inside of the room was dark, the windows still covered. Riku couldn't hear anyone or anything, but he felt her presence within the room somewhere nonetheless.

He stepped into the room, walking to the closest window and throwing the curtains open. In streamed bright midday light, illuminated most of the room in a soft glow, although the far corners were light in a hazy half light.

"Go away," a soft voice emanated from the direction of the bed.

"No chance," Riku told her, walking towards the sound of her cracked voice. "Keldar…was right before. You need to let us in and let us help you. We all know how hard this last week or so has been for you. Just let us help relieve some of the weight you're shouldering all by yourself," stepping in front of the bed and looking down at the pitiful figure before him.

Geni sat on the farthest edge of the bed away from him, her back against the wall, as she bent her knees up to her chest. Her face was buried in her knees, her hands and arms within the barrier her knees created. Her once lofty spikes hung droopy around the edges of her head, effectively hiding her from view. The only indication besides this semi-fetal position that showed her true feelings was the fact that her feet sat upon one another, her toes curled up inside of them. Geni blinked at the tears inside of her dark self-induced prison, hearing Riku stop in front of her. Her fingers tightened into balls, her arms tucked in as far as they would go. Not only did her heart ache, but her entire body felt as if it would fall apart if she didn't keep control of it and force it together. "I'm fine," she insisted to him, although everyone present clearly knew that was not the case.

"I'm sorry for what I said before," Sora said to her, slowly climbing up onto the bed to join his sister. "It was wrong of me to bring her up now." Carefully he sat down next to her, watching her unmoving form with bright eyes.

"Sora's right," Kairi added, coming to kneel in front of her. She placed a hand on Geni's knee, earning a small movement from her as she pulled in onto herself even more so. "Come on, let us help you," she told her, looking at Sora with desperate eyes.

Keldar and Riku looked as the two of them pleaded with her. As they did, Keldar quietly sidled up to Riku, leaning over to speak to him in a quiet voice. "Do you have a flat white disc with you?" he asked him.

Riku looked at him, startled. "How do you know about that?"

Keldar's eyebrows rose. "So you're the one she gave it to. Now – give it to her," Keldar told Riku, gesturing towards Geni. "I think it will help with our current situation."

Confused, Riku carefully reached into his pocket and took out the flat, round stone the Queen had given to him the last time he had seen her alive. "You mean this?" he asked, holding it up.

Keldar snatched it from his hands. "Yes, that one." As soon as Keldar grabbed the disc it began to glow white in his hands. He quickly set it on the ground, and immediately the room was lit by the sudden explosion of light it released.

Riku blinked, and the light caught Sora and Kairi's attention. "What's that?" he asked them. However, an older woman's voice suddenly laughed, dragging all of their attention towards the hologram floating in front of them.

"Goodness girl, stop your blubbering! I swear, each time I see you, you're being such a crybaby!"

Geni curled in onto herself even more so if she could, but this time covering her ears. "No…no…you aren't real…" she murmured to herself.

"Obviously. Now look up Genevieve, stop cowering, and behave like the girl I raised who wouldn't take hell from anyone."

She finally raised her head, just enough so that her watery eyes could be seen above her knees as she watched the hologram.

"There. And now that I've gotten you're attention my dear," Lirona said with a smile, "we'll get started."


	38. The Fleet Launches

Chapter 37

"No way…" Sora murmured, looking at the Geni's dead teacher, who looked in absolutely perfect health.

"Yes _way_, young man. And close that mouth," she said, pointing her cane at him.

Sora closed his gaping mouth from his spot on the bed next to his sister. "But…but aren't you dead?"

"Well, technically, I suppose I am, aren't I?" she told him as she stepped forward closer to the bed. She tilted her head, as if in thought. "Well, I recorded this well before anything happened. So I've finally passed, hmm? What happened?" she asked turning to face the five living humans in the room.

Four of the five living people in the room stood there agape. "Wait…wait a minute," Riku finally said, breaking the silence. "I don't get what's going on here. You're Lirona…but _not_ Lirona, since she died – we all saw her. So what exactly are you?"

Lirona stood up to her full height, catching each of them in one of her fierce gazes. "I am the living last will and testament of Madame Lirona Verdeste, director of the music branch of the Academia, adviser to her majesty Dowager Queen Hisako, and wife to Donovan Verdeste…last adviser to Her Majesty."

"WHAT?!" three voices shouted simultaneously.

Keldar just sighed, shaking his head. He had forgotten that the three outsiders barely knew of the technology and magic available for use in the Realm; they were hundreds and hundreds of years outside of the outer universe. However, he was still surprised at that last bit of information; no wonder Lirona hated Donovan with a passion.

"Stop shouting already," Lirona told them in a tired voice. "Yes yes, I was married to that imbecile once. But that was a long time ago," she added sternly. Looking down at Geni, she sighed. "I told _you_ that long ago –" she said to Geni, but then turned to the rest "– which is why she accepted her role as future queen and future wife to hothead here. I told her how I had gone through the exact same thing. I even loved him once," she said suddenly, her voice turning softer and gentler. But then she shook her head. "Except then he filled his head with world domination, and the darkness consumed him. I tried telling Hisako that, but she wouldn't believe me. So we separated about 300 years ago, and went our own ways with protecting our rulers."

"You went through the same thing?" Kairi echoed in a slightly concerned voice. "It makes sense now; Geni would do anything you asked of her, and telling her that would cement her decision."

Lirona nodded. "However…enough with the past. I would ask that you four keep that information to yourselves, if you don't mind."

"We will," Riku promised her.

"Sure," Keldar mumbled, his conscience slightly trembling in guilt. _No wonder she never really liked the idea; not only did she have Riku already; Lirona gave her a sob story about her own life._

"Good. Now then, young lady," she said as she lifted her cane towards Geni. She was still peering at her with weepy eyes through her veil of hair, but still and silent due to shock rather than self pity. She took her cane under her chin and forced her to raise her head, displaying her red, puffy eyes and tear stained face. Her ocean blue eyes were dark, swimming with emotion. Setting it back down by her side, she rested both hands on it and cleared her throat. "Now, as I was saying, I am the living last will and testament of the woman you knew as Lirona. I was placed in safe keeping with Dowager Queen Hisako, one of only two copies, the other being with Lirona herself. Your friend here, with the silver hair, was given me the last time the queen was alive."

"That explains why she would want to get rid of it. Donovan could have used it against her," Riku thought out loud. "Of course, depending on what exactly you have to say, of course."

"Can we hurry up and get to that please then?" Lirona stated with a sigh. "I doubt you have much time left."

"Time left for what?" Sora asked her.

"To prevent Donovan from corrupting the ultimate power of the Realm. You will need to listen carefully to what I have to say – especially the two of you," she said to Keldar and Geni. "It will be up to you to stop him, and take your rightful places, before he has the chance to steal it from you. And yes, I know your trepidation about this," she said to Geni, "but think about that later. Now, this is what is going to happen.

The capital will be in a state of official mourning for exactly one month after the death of any royal – there will be no school, and no work that isn't necessary. After that there will be another eleven months of mourning to make a full year, but that doesn't concern you. Now, Donovan will not be able to revise or dispose of any laws or mandates during this time, due to the fact that the populace must vote upon them as well. However, it is also at this point that he will be trying to force the Imperial Council to accept him as the temporary leader of the Realm. This is most likely going on right now, and hopefully has not been passed yet. However, if Donovan _is_ elected as the one and only Regent – which he would have been with supervising Keldar – then he will assume all of the duties and powers as any royal would. This means he would have to go through the Initiation, which is a ceremony with which the two future rulers must pass in order to be called king and queen."

"Fran mentioned that to us before," Riku told her. "She said that there is some kind of power, an entity, that chooses whether or not to bestow power onto the man and woman chosen as the future king and queen. If it doesn't, than they can't rule, but if it does, their own power increases exponentially."

"That is correct," Lirona affirmed. "Donovan already is at a disadvantage, because there always must be two rulers. If you can reach the temple and perform the ceremony before he does, then all of his plans and plots will have been for naught. I am afraid, however, that you may arrive at the same time or too late to prevent it from happening. I see you are in Bhujerba; when are you leaving for the capital?"

"In a few hours," Keldar told her, turning to face her. "It will take the fleet the rest of the day, then, to fly over the mountains and to the capital. From there, we will send in a small force to allow them to land and then they will begin to spread throughout the capital, freeing the political prisoners and relaying the truth to the people. All of us here will be a part of the initial team, including Penelo, Vaan, Balthier, Fran, and several Viera warriors. And according to your information, we'll be heading straight towards the palace as soon as we get there."

Lirona nodded once again. "It is a good plan – just be careful, all of you. However, I have some last things to speak to you about. I am Lirona's last will and testament, after all. Genevieve, please come here."

Geni had sat there staring at her, disbelief in her eyes. Of course she knew just as well as Keldar that this was not unusual, but in her current state of mind her mind just wasn't functioning as much as it should have been. Eyes forward, she slowly slid herself forward and off of the bed, much to the relief of Sora and Kairi. As she slowly stood to her full height, an inch or two above the hologram, she looked through the holographic image of her mentor and teacher. "Yes?" she told her, her voice small and meek.

"I know you have been through much in the past weeks," she told her gently, "but you must put it behind you now. I can no longer lead you now, nor can Hisako. You must choose your own path now. The sky pirates of Bhujerba cannot choose it for you, nor can the Imperial Council of the capital here in the Realm choose it for you. I can guide you; I told you what must be done, but only you can act on it. Please, Genevieve, you must now follow your _heart_, follow your _song_." Suddenly the image of Lirona wavered, her gentle expression turning up into a smile. "Now, that pearl of wisdom was one of the gifts I left behind. I also leave you everything in my home, my position as head of the music branch and everything it entails – as well as everything in my office, my students to teach at the Academia, and everything I have ever taught you."

She paused, for once looking a bit humbled, and perhaps remorseful. "I may not be the real Lirona, but I am sorry that I won't be around to see you when you shine. You always did shine brighter than anyone else, and I always knew you had something special in you. You are individual, unique; more precious than any gem. There is nothing that can define you or who you are. You must remember that: you are solely you. You may have a twin who looks and thinks like you do," she said, turning her gaze on Sora who still sat on the bed next to Kairi, "but he is not you. Nor are you him. You are still two separate entities, which is also displayed in the attributes of your Keyblades. You are darkness, while he is light. Most of your past is filled with sadness and countless sorrows, while Sora's past is filled with many happy memories. You complete each other by filling in the holes with your differences. Embrace the individual you and the other half of you – within your twin and within the one whom your adorations rest on."

Lirona's image wavered once more as Geni looked on, her eyes once more shedding tears. With an amazing calm and steady voice, she answered her. "I will, Lirona. I will continue what you have started, and become the person you always wanted me to be." She blinked, smiling. "I am also sorry that you won't be here to see me fulfill your wishes, but I know of four people here that will hold me to this promise."

"I'll help you," Sora said, stepping forward to place his hand on her shoulder. Two pairs of blue eyes connected once more, becoming an oceanic abyss of emotion.

"I will as well," Kairi added, stepping forward to stand on Sora's left.

"Always," Riku added, stepping forward to stand behind Geni, resting his large hand on her small shoulder as well, becoming a human frame with Sora and Kairi opposite himself.

"Are you four always this wretchedly sentimental?" Keldar said with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

"Now, now," Lirona tutted. "You worry me the most boy, do you know that?" she told him while rolling her eyes.

"Always have, always will. But I'll help anyway," he shrugged. "Donovan is no longer the man I knew him to be. In fact, he was never the man I thought him to be. And for that I know I have many mistakes that have to be atoned for."

"What better time than the present?" Lirona told him. "There is someone here I believe who deserves it to be told to first, am I correct?"

Keldar looked away, an almost invisible pink tint coating his ears. "Of course." With purpose in his stride, he came forward past Lirona to stand tall in front of Geni. Looking down at her, he suddenly knelt at her feet, bowing his head and crossing his hands in traditional Realm fashion. Needless to say, Geni and the other three were greatly surprised by this act of humility.

"Keldar?" she said in a surprised voice, her eyes unexpectedly drying up. She looked down into his onyx hair, his small ponytail neat and trim. She hadn't noticed until now that his appearance had changed. He no longer wore the matching choker to hers; his red embroidered paneled skirt had disappeared, and the purple sash and his Crown Prince's circlet were gone as well. He looked just like Geni did…like any normal, unimportant citizen of the capital. She had to say he looked better that way, his own natural handsome self shown off more through less.

"Please forgive me," he began, "for everything I have put you through. And I don't mean just now; I mean since we met all those years ago. Even though you call us friends, I have never really once even treated you like something akin to that. Before I sent you to be executed, you never shouted or screamed at me in anger or hatred. I always looked down on you, thinking that you were just an outside commoner who happened to strike it lucky when you came here. But now I know better." If possible, he bent his head even further towards the ground, his voice for once not so steady. "Without even trying to, you earn people's trust and loyalty. You have always worked five times as hard as anyone I know, and not once was ever thanked for it. And I was the worst of them all. We fought all the time, never once got along, and when we found out we had been chosen as the next crown rulers together, we barely said a civilized word to each other.

From here on out, I know that we have a path to follow. Lirona said as much if we are going to stop Donovan. But if you want to end everything between us here and now, I will completely understand. I don't deserve your kindness any more than I deserve your friendship," he finished, his knuckles white from gripping his hand so hard.

Geni looked down at Keldar with pity in her eyes. However, she turned towards Riku on her right and gazed at him, wondering what he was thinking about Keldar's supposed apology. She had forgiven him long ago for his self-centeredness and narrow minded views, of course, but she knew that not everyone had completely forgiven him yet for what he had done to her.

Riku looked straight into Geni's eyes, seeing her inner confusion. Even though he didn't like it, he knew what he had to do. Squeezing her shoulder once, he let her go.

Sora saw this action, and immediately did likewise. He was about to ask what was going on when Geni immediately knelt down and enveloped Keldar in her arms, reaching up on her knees to throw them around his neck. She spoke to him, her eyes gazing passed his shoulder and to Lirona's slowly fading image as it smiled at her and nodded in agreement.

"You idiot," she told him, sniffing from her runny nose. "Of course I forgive you. And don't ever doubt that I don't want your friendship – you've been my friend for too long for that to end now."

Keldar sat there stiffly. Geni had never embraced him as she did now, her warm arms encircling his broad back, the feel of her breath on his neck. Really, he didn't know what to do. "Are you sure?" he asked her quietly, his gaze studying the elaborate carpeting beneath them.

"Of course I am sure," she retorted, giving him a derisive snort. "You didn't put me through hell and back just to stop now."

A giggle interrupted the almost touching moment. Kairi tried to suppress it, but failed miserably. Geni smiled, laughing softly, as she pulled him tighter into the embrace. She knew Riku would forgive her for it later. "Now it's time to forgive yourself, alright?" she whispered into his ear. "You're the last to do so."

He blinked, something irritating his eye. "You forgive me? Even after all I've done?" Keldar asked her, not bothering to soften his voice.

"We all do," Sora spoke up, causing Keldar to look up at him. The exact biological replica of his supposed fiancé stared back at him with a measuring look. "You might have done some bad things in your past, but there isn't a person anywhere who is innocent of that. Like Geni said, forgive yourself already – we all have, especially her. And I think that we would have the most to _not_ forgive you for, wouldn't you say?" he added, narrowing his gaze at him, as if daring him to contradict his sister.

"Y-yes," he answered him. "…thank you…"

"You're welcome," Geni told him, leaning back on the balls of her feet to stand up. She reached down and grabbed Keldar's forearms, lifting him to his feet as well. Smiling at him, she let him go and turned for the final time towards Lirona. "And thank you," she told her as she stepped forward to look the hologram in the eyes. "I'll do my best to live up to be the person you wanted me to be."

"No, just be _yourself_," she emphasized. "Be true to who you are, and be true to your heart. If you do, it will never guide you astray." She smiled sadly, tightening her lips afterwards. "No I am afraid it is time for me to go. The power in this disc has all but been used up. I won't be able to see you again, but everything that I have told you will still be on this for future reference. Now, goodbye my dear…I may not be the real Lirona, but I still love you as much as she ever did. You are not only my heir, but like a daughter to me…the one I never had. Please," she asked, looking at the four standing behind Geni, "take care of her for me?"

"We will," Sora and Kairi promised together.

"Leave it to us," Riku also told her.

Keldar was silent, but he nodded his final farewell to her.

Geni was silent, a few tears leaking from her eyes. _I love you_, she mouthed to Lirona, still facing away from her friends. _Thank you for everything_.

Lirona smiled one last time, then the light that had suddenly exploded from the round disc rapidly dissipated in a smaller explosion of light, leaving tiny spots of light floating in the air where she had been. The stone disc on the floor below slowly faded from bright white to ashen gray, its first and final task completed and power drained. Slowly walking forward, Geni knelt to pick the stone up, and cradled it to her chest as she felt its warmth draining rapidly. Standing up, she looked towards the door in front of her, the room suddenly much darker without her teacher's presence.

Sora stepped forward, unsure of what his sister was thinking or contemplating. "You okay?" he asked her in a quiet voice.

"I will be," she told him, being honest for him completely for the first time in days. Turning to Sora, she smiled at him, although her recent flood of emotions was extremely apparent on her face. "Lirona always tends to remind me of what I should be doing and why, instead of sitting around and sulking and feeling sorry for myself." She suddenly threw her arms around him, grabbing him tightly to her. "I'm sorry Sora…sorry for making you worry, and never telling you the whole truth, and for not keeping you close to my heart like I should have."

Sora blushed, returning her hug. "Y-yeah, of course. You know we'll always be here to help."

Geni let go of him, then proceeded to walk over to Kairi and embrace her as well. "Sorry Kairi for dragging you into this mess too."

"Don't worry – for once I get to have an adventure too," she said with a laugh.

Geni laughed right with her before turning towards Riku next. "You were always there for me, even when I tried to push you away." She walked up quickly to him and threw her arms around his neck, stretching to reach so high.

Riku happily held her as well, his heart warming to hear her laugh and smile truly once more. "Anytime – you know we'll always have your back."

She smiled up at him, her heart lighter than it had been in days. "I know." Dropping her arms, she turned around and smiled at the rest of them. "I know all of you do, and I apologize that I never trusted you all as much as I should have. Hopefully it isn't too late," she added in a softer voice.

"For what?" Sora asked her, unsure if she was speaking about her apology or stopping Donovan.

"To stop all this," she told him, gesturing in a general manner. "We really don't know what has happened since we left, besides the fact that the capital has split its decision between Donovan and the two of us," she said, turning to Keldar. "I also don't want anyone else hurt because of me," she added in a sad voice.

"Then let's go!" Sora suddenly cried out, turning everyone's gaze on him. "Let's go find Vaan and the others. I'm sure the _Strahl_ is ready by now – we'll go find them and get going!"

Geni laughed at him, as did Kairi. "Finally," Keldar mumbled in the background. "Can we go now?" he said, turning his gaze towards the closed door.

"Yes, yes," Geni replied, pushing Sora with a laugh.

However, just as he was about to open the door, a quick succession of knocks interrupted him. "Hello?" Sora asked, opening the door.

"Oh! You're…done," Penelo said with surprise in her voice. "We were just coming to see how things were going…"

Fran stepped into view from out in the hallway and surveyed the five young humans inside the room. "I believe everything has been settled then?" she asked them, giving them a humored look.

"It has," Geni said, stepping forward to smile widely at both of them. "In surprising ways, I might add," she added with a laugh.

Penelo and Fran gave each other a look, incredulous at the sudden change in her behavior. Penelo immediately stepped forward and placed a hand on Geni's forehead, moving aside her spiky hair. "You don't seem to have a temperature," she murmured. She leaned forward and peered into her eyes. "And you're eyes aren't glazed over either. You aren't sick, are you?"

Geni rolled her eyes, batted Penelo's hand away. "I'm _fine_. Really, I am now. We really need to get going anyway. Where are Balthier and Vaan? Is the _Strahl_ ready to take off yet? What about the rest of the fleet? Are they ready to launch?" Geni fired her questions at the two of them.

"The fleet is ready as well as the _Strahl_," Fran explained to her, leaning back on her feet to place a hand on her hip. "The _Strahl_ will serve as the fleet's flagship as well as the _Freedom_, since we will be separating once we arrive at the capital. All supplies – food, water, medicine, armor, and weapons – have been loaded onto the ships. All that is left is the hume and Viera cargo."

"We've been busy since last night," Penelo teased her.

Geni blushed mildly, but shook her head. "Alright then. What do you need me to do?"

"Come be our figurehead," Penelo laughed, grabbing her hand. "I get to dress you up again," she giggled.

"What?!" Geni cried out, pulling her hand back. "No! _No_ fancy clothes, _no_ ornaments, _no_ frills! Fran, help me out here a little!" she shouted back at the Viera as Penelo began to drag her down the hall.

"No, once again you must look the part of a future queen," Fran told her with an exasperated sigh as she followed Penelo. Looking back over her shoulder, she called to the rest of the group, "Head over to the Aerodrome. You'll find everyone waiting for you there. We'll be joining you shortly after we get her highness dressed. Oh, you come with us too…_your highness_," she motioned to him as she paused.

Keldar had been studying a painting on one of the walls when he heard Fran call his name. "Me?" he asked her dumbly, pointing to himself. "What do you need me for?"

"You are the prince, are you not?" Fran asked him, frowning. "You are just as important as she is in this venture. Come along and get dressed," she added before turning and continuing her stroll down the hall. Geni's protests echoed off of the walls before a sudden slam of a door cut her off.

Keldar moaned. "Is she serious? I look fine the way I am," he mumbled.

Sora laughed at him, before patting his shoulder. "Come on, it can't be that bad. I've seen princes and princesses, and king and queens, in their royal garb before – it can't be that bad."

"You've never seen ornate until now," Keldar muttered darkly as he walked down the hall, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"What's up with them?" Sora wondered out loud. "It can't be anything worse than what they've worn before, can it?"

Riku shrugged. "Who knows? Either way let's get going. We've got a long trip ahead of us, and our biggest battle yet tomorrow."

"I wonder what it's going to be like…" Sora murmured to himself as the three of them began to walk down the hall.

"What is what going to be like?" Kairi asked him.

"Well, we've never fought people before – I mean, just a little bit. But this is a war, isn't it? Heartless don't shed blood," he finished with a frown.

Kairi shivered, mimicking his gruesome thoughts. "I never thought about it that way," she told him quietly. "What is going to happen?"

"We'll just do the best we can not to hurt anyone," Riku told them, looking down as they walked. "Besides, I don't think Geni would want anyone else hurt because of her anyways. Just a bump on the head or a bruise here and there won't hurt as much as their damaged pride," he added with a chuckle. However, he quickly sobered his thoughts. "But you are right though…this battle _will_ be completely different than any we have fought before."

Slowly the three friends fell into a comfortable, albeit nervous, silence as they traversed the corridors of the marquis' estate one final time as they made their way to the outside. The lone guard on duty at the main door saluted them as he opened it, wishing them a fond farewell on their journey. As they walked down the cobbled path, in the daylight it was much more apparent the damage that had been done the previous night. The explosions left scarring black scorch marks on buildings across the city, damaging others and even collapsing a few of them. Luckily enough, the attackers had aimed for storage areas and warehouses, limiting the amount of life that could possibly be lost.

Out of the entire population as well there were mostly only minor injuries, with a few broken bones due to falling pieces of wood, metal, and masonry. As it was the merchants, pirates, and citizens worked together to put out the blazes as well as begin cleaning up the aftermath; obviously not everyone would be boarding the ships that had been slowly prepared for the last three days. The sky pirates, of course, as well as those citizens who were able to fight (which included the merchants, ex-soldiers and guards, as well as any good hearted mercenaries) boarded ships of every size. Some ships were enormous, such as the _Freedom,_ and could hold hundreds of people. Other ships which were built for speed, like the _Strahl_, carried only a handful of crew, while others yet carried a mix of these two numbers.

Walking down the main causeway, Riku, Sora, and Kairi were surprised to see the lack of people and action. Stores were closed or in the process of being closed, carts and wagons were pulled into storage sheds; pack animals were feed, watered, and generally cared for; there was no one sitting around talking or laughing as had been the occasion when they had first arrived several days ago. The atmosphere was tense, strained – one could literally feel the anxiety drifting off people in waves. Any children who were left were always in the sight of their parents or guardians, never left alone for one instant. As their duties finished, they were ushered into their homes to await the final news from the battlefront in a day or two.

As the trio walked by one particular house, a little boy and a little girl wearing matching brown pants, dark leather boots, and green woven tops were watering some plants in large pots. As they looked up, the little boy set down his small watering can and with determination in his gaze walked in front of and blocked the path of the three much taller adults.

"You're gonna go fight, aren't ya?" he asked them, puffing his chest out and crossing his arms across his chest. "You're friends with miss Genevieve too, aren't ya?"

The three teenagers stopped mid-step, surprised. Sora smiled, and looked down at the boy. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "We are, to both of your questions. Why do you ask?"

The boy's face suddenly grew two shades of a darker pink. "W-why should I hafta tell you for?! Just make sure she comes back, otherwise Cassie is going to be sad!"

"Cassie?" Sora questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"Um, I'm Cassie, sir," a little girl peeped, ducking out from behind her older brother.

"Hello Cassie," Sora told her, grinning.

"My momma was right – you do look exactly like miss Genevieve," she told him in her small voice with a shy smile. "You're her brother, right? You'll make sure she comes back to Bhujerba, right? She told me that she was going to teach us how to fly when she came back…but I know she was busy, with the problem's at the capital an'all, so she really didn't have time, but she came to our house two days ago when she came back and promised us again that she would teach us. So you'll be sure to make sure she comes back right away, promise? My daddy and my uncle are going to be on the _Freedom_ with her, and they promised us that they are going to help her stop all of the fighting too."

Sora couldn't help but wonder at this young girl. "I promise…we'll make sure she, your father, and your uncle all come back safe and sound. Right guys?" he said, turning his head. He saw Kairi and Riku nod behind him. He turned back towards the two children. "Alright now?" he asked the older boy.

"I suppose so," he mumbled, stepping aside. "But you had better keep your promise, otherwise Cassie is going to be really sad!"

"We will," Sora told him, as he began to walk down the lane once more. "See you guys soon!" he called back as they turned the corner onto the final road leading towards the Aerodrome. "Huh, that was kind of strange."

"What? The little boy who had a crush on Geni, or that she made time to stop and see them during our first day here?" Riku asked him. He had actually been pondering those same questions himself during their encounter.

"Both, I guess, but more so the second question. I suppose she must have done it when you two split up," he said, speaking to Kairi. "But why be so secretive about it? Maybe she had more to do around here, or something like that," he wondered out loud.

"She said it's been a while since she's been here," Kairi affirmed with a nod. "It is highly possible."

"Of course it is. I mean, half of her life was a complete mystery to everyone except Queen Minnie for the past twelve years. I think it's only natural that we haven't learned, or she hasn't told us, completely everything about it yet. We can ask her later," Riku told them with a shrug as they crossed the bridge over open air. The sky was very blue that afternoon; clouds floated lazily past them underneath their feet. As they entered into the shadow of the Aerodrome, a dull roar greeted their ears. Passing underneath the old stone archways and into the main foyer, hundreds of people were milling around, putting the last finishing touches on their means into battle. Crates were being loaded onto hundreds of different sized airships on all floors of the enormous building; humans, Viera, and a few Moogles putting the last minute repairs into making sure that their mechanical children kept their friends from harm.

Sora whistled. "That's a lot of ships. Too bad we couldn't get the gummi ship back from where we first landed it to give them a hand."

"Yeah. Poor Donald," Riku added, thinking back to how well Donald kept the ship up and running. "By the way, where is the _Strahl_? I remember we saw it while on that tour one of the mechanics gave us two days ago. But…I don't see it anywhere around here," he told them, looking up and around them and over the heads of many people present and reporting to his two shorter cohorts.

"On one of the upper levels, I thought," Sora told him. "We could ask someone around here – I think it's a pretty famous ship as it is." However, a sudden noisy quacking came from their left as it scolded someone harshly.

"Goofy be _careful_ with that! We need that flux capacitor to fix the navigational system!" Donald quacked loudly with his usual lisp.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora called to them, waving his arms and earning him several amused looks from passersby.

The anthropomorphic duck and dog quickly turned their heads in their direction, one-sided argument swiftly halted. "Hiya Sora!" Goofy called, waving a glass tube-like device in his hand.

"GOOFY!" Donald screeched at him, reaching skywards for his hand. He snatched it from the knight's hand easily, stomping over towards the trio as they tried their hardest not to laugh. "It's about time you three showed up," he mumbled at them, checking the glass for cracks. "Where's Geni?"

"Soon to be on her way with Fran, Penelo, and Keldar, once they finished 'dressing' them or whatever they needed to do with them. How are things here?" Sora asked him as he laughed once again at his friend's antics.

"Just _fine_, thank you very much. As you can see, everyone around here is about ninety-five percent finished with loading their cargo and prepping for battle. Balthier sent us to get this piece of equipment from Nono, and see if you had arrived yet. Since you have, let's get going." Donald about faced and began marching back the way they had come, aiming for what looked like an open elevator in the wall to their left.

"Hiya fellers, glad you could join us," Goofy finally told them, grinning. "Donald's been waiting anxiously for ya to arrive, as well as King Mickey. How's Geni doing?" he asked, his expression sobering. "Is she doing better?" Goofy's fatherly tendency shown through for a brief instant, as it usually did when he wasn't doting on his only son.

"Better," Sora told him, patting him on the shoulder as they began to follow where Donald had stomped off to. "I think she's finally starting to get over the fact that not everything that has happened since we arrived is her fault."

Goofy's expression brightened considerably. "Good then." The four of them stepped off of the stone floor of the Aerodrome and into a metal covered box on three sides, squishing in so all five of them could fit. "All set Donald."

"Finally," he grumbled, but pulled a lever to his immediate left and the lift lurched into motion, sending the group soaring into the air. "We're on the middle level with the _Strahl_, the same level that the _Freedom_ is loading on," Donald explained to them as they looked out over the hustle and bustle. "The _Strahl_ will be completely ready as soon as we install this," he said, looking to the glass cylinder in his right wing, "and the _Freedom _is alreadyprepared and awaiting the final loading of the crew."

"I remember hearing that the _Freedom_ is quite large," Riku commented as they passed the second level. "It can hold hundreds of people, right?"

Donald nodded to him, pushing up slowly on the lever to slow their ascent as they neared the third level of the Aerodrome. "It's going to be the second flagship other than the _Stahl_, and is also going to hold the bulk of the initial landing force. According to Balthier, we're going to surround the capital, the _Freedom_ landing where we landed when we first arrived, and the _Strahl_ taking us around to the other side of the capital towards where the Defense Assembly and the Imperial Council's headquarters are. Also, according to Fran –" here Donald paused as the lift stopped, and he opened the small gate to allow all of them out back into the Aerodrome. "As I was saying, according to Fran the area where the council meets is behind the palace, and even farther behind that is this temple where the Initiation is to take place. The _Strahl_ is going in near there, and dropping us off so we can sneak in and stop the proceedings. The _Freedom_, as well as the rest of the fleet, is going to create a diversion for us and take all of the guard's attention towards them and away from us."

"So how many of us are going to be going in with the _Strahl_?" Riku asked him. "We can't have too many, otherwise we'll be caught too easily."

Donald nodded, as he turned right to walk down the long hallway. There were large doors with numbers on them, areas where each ship was docked. "Five…six…seven…eight, here we go," he said as he turned left and walked down a short hallway. "As far as people, Balthier and Fran will pilot the _Strahl_ and create another diversion once we have been dropped off. Vaan and Penelo will be on the _Freedom_ with the Viera elders, but there will be all of us: Goofy, King Mickey, myself, you three, and then Keldar and Geni."

"And a few of our warriors as well," a none too humorous voice added to the conversation as the group stepped out of the semidarkness of the hallway and into the light of the _Strahl_'s dock area. Jote was waiting for them, and four Viera warriors stood behind her, tall and proud in their lightweight armor.

"I was getting to that," Donald replied with a frown, clearly agitated by her presence.

"So you lot finally made it up here." Balthier strode up to them from behind the Viera, wiping his hands on a cloth. "She's all ready to fly. Are you?" he asked all of them, looking down as he picked a speck of dirt from underneath his fingernail.

"We are," Sora told him, eying Jote. "Fran sent us here after she and Penelo took Keldar and Geni somewhere."

"We know of this already," Jote said, staring down at him from her impressive height. "They will be arriving shortly, from what Fran told me a short while ago."

"Why did Fran and Penelo have to re-dress them?" Kairi asked her politely, the tension in the room already thick enough.

"They are royalty, are they not? If anyone is to take them serious from this point onwards, they must look and not just act like royalty as well," Jote explained to her. "Although we Viera have no need for kings and queens and the like, the humes tend to feel safe and protected when they know that there is someone who can solve their problems and keep them from danger."

"A figurehead can be any old peasant, but they must be able to back up their claim if anyone is to trust them," Balthier added. "Now let's go grab some front row seats, shall we? This should be an entertaining performance."

"Performance?" several voices echoed in confusion.

"Ah, just come and watch," Balthier said with a sigh, beckoning them towards the _Strahl_. He lead them past the enormous ship and out towards a ledge that lead towards the central part of the Aerodrome. It was designed so that all ships could leave through an inner door on the roof of the Aerodrome, rather than coming in from all sides of it. As they came to a ledge, they could see hundreds of people lining each level as well as on the floor where they first came in.

Sora ran to lean on the edge, looking all around him. There were literally thousands of people in the Aerodrome, many lining similar ledges to theirs, packing them so tight so they could all see what was going to happen. "What are they all waiting for?" he asked Balthier who came and stood beside him, rag forgotten and thrown behind him somewhere.

"Your sister and that good-for-nothing," he told him, sighing as he looked out over the masses. "I expect they'll have to make some kind of grand entr-" he began to say, but was cut off by a fanfare of dozens of brass horns, raised in proclamation. Shouting began all around them as people crowded the ledges, looking towards the middle of the Aerodrome. "Entrance," Balthier finished as he lightly tapped his now ringing ears.

"Where?" Riku asked from Balthier's right, searching for his familiar face.

"Let us see too fellers!" a small voice suddenly called from behind them.

"Oh, sorry King Mickey – here," Riku said, turning around and gently lifting up the small mouse king onto the ledge. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you Riku," he answered him as Donald and Goofy came up from behind him. "So where are they?"

"To our right, by the _Freedom_," Balthier said, gesturing in Riku's direction. "There they are."

A small platform dislodged itself from several ports down, two people in magnificent dress adorning it as it slowly moved towards the center of the Aerodrome and down one level. Balthier chuckled at them. "I think Fran and Penelo might have overdone it…just a bit."

"What are they wearing?!" Sora exclaimed, trying not to laugh at his sister trying so hard to hide her discomfort.

"I've never seen anything like that before," Kairi breathed softly. "It's beautiful."

Riku agreed with both Sora and Kairi at that moment, but kept his eyes on the impressive scene before them. Keldar and Geni stood in the center of the platform, gazing out to the thousands of people around them as they cheered them on. Both were wearing a variation of what the Dowager Queen had worn the last time they had seen her; instead of pure white, however, their clothes were an off white with embroidered purple trim around all of the edges.

Keldar was wearing a suit similar to his normal dress; his pants were blown out towards the ankles, but a longer tunic with long sleeves ran down almost to the top of his knees. Across his chest was a sash of deep purple, like the trim on his clothes, and at his waist hung a large scabbard, also purple in color. Across his forehead was a simple silver circlet, the band intertwined several times with a quarter sized violet gem in the center. A signet ring rested on the index finger of right hand, his left holding the pommel of his sword while his fingers tapped on it impatiently. His black hair was pulled back into his signature short ponytail, held back with a purple band. To complete the ensemble he wore simple shoes, and stood tall and straight, as regal as any future king could be.

On the other hand, as simply as Keldar was adorned, Geni was almost the complete opposite. Gone was her basic uniform, replaced with a splendid floor length dress of the off white and purple. However, unlike Keldar's which was only trimmed in purple, her gown held a layered effect. The long sleeves opened towards her wrists, a large band of purple rising lazily up each arm like a serpent until it settled on her shoulders. Coming down from her shoulders it circled behind her back, across her stomach, and down the length of the gown to the ground. The neckline of the dress covered her modestly, showing off a pendant with a sizable violet stone and an intricate vine chain. On her forehead was also a wreath of silver similar to Keldar's, except this crown mimicked her necklace, silver vines and leaves intertwined across her forehead with three violet stones: one larger one in the center, flanked by two elongated ovals on either side of it pointing towards the sky. A signet ring rested on her right index finger as well, and the strap at her waist held Songuraita. As a final touch, her braid was bound in a circular fashion on the back of her head, and a single purple iris adorning the center of it.

Sora could tell she looked nervous, although her face was set in stone. The ceremony they were put through when they first arrived should have cut all ties to them, yet Sora knew his sister better than anyone – except probably Riku. He could see her hands rested at the sides of her dress, but she was fingering it ever so slightly; a nervous reaction as well. "Wow," he commented softly at his sister's appearance.

"They clean up well," Balthier remarked, his eyes a touch softer than they had been. "It's been years since I've seen her in a dress."

"And it will probably be the last time as well," a tired voice said from behind them.

The group turned around momentarily to see Penelo and Fran approaching them, looking slightly disheveled. "She hates dresses, and especially _girly_ dresses that are not of her own choosing."

"But she wore skirts at the castle all the time, and even for the dance at school!" Kairi protested.

"Yes, she did, because she chose them. This time, however, we chose that dress because it has been passed down from royal to royal for generations now," Fran told them with a sigh. "We were lucky we still had it in storage here from the very last time that the royal couple made a trip to Bhujerba. I think that was over nine hundred years ago, or so."

"Then that's…her majesty's dress, isn't it?" Riku commented while turning his head to look around.

"It is," Penelo affirmed. "That is the only other reason why she's still wearing it right now and hasn't flung it off."

"Quiet. They speak," Fran interrupted her, walking to stand behind Balthier.

It was true; Keldar and Geni had given one look to each other, nodding, before stepping forward as one. Geni spoke first, her voice calm and even, projecting across the entire dome.

"People of Bhujerba, and of the southern regions!" she cried, her gaze spreading out across the vast sea of faces all turned in her direction now, and silent. "Today is the day of liberation, and of revelation! Today is the day we go to claim what is truly ours once again – not land, not sky, but our pride and honor! Our brothers and sisters slave under the tyranny of a false ruler, lies stopping up their ears to the truth! It is our turn to free them, to show them how to be free once again!

Today we set sail as one from here, from our home. We go to protect our homes, our businesses, our families. However…we also go to protect our brethren's homes, businesses, and families as well, for they are in just as much pain and suffering as we have been these past years! Do not think of the people of the capital as foreigners, as aliens, as strangers. I, who am part of the sky pirates, am also part of the people of the capital. I look the same as all of you, I speak the same way as all of you, I think the same way as all of you…I look the same as the people of the northern capital, I speak the same way as the people of the capital, and I think the same way as the people of the capital. I have two lives her in the Realm; two lives, two homes, two families. And now, my family must be united at last." Geni paused, and turned towards Keldar, her dress swishing behind her as she faced him at last.

She looked at him, handsome in his royal attire. His eyes met hers, and she noticed just how nervous he was. She flicked her eyes upwards for a moment, noting where a silver flash of hair stood staring down at her. She closed her eyes briefly, apologizing once again for her actions, before holding out her left hand. "Keldar," she said softly, her eyes gazing at him, "it's time."

He nodded to her. Left hand still on his faithful scabbard, he held out his right and clasped her hand in his. He felt her shaking slightly, her palms slightly greased with sweat. Squeezing her hand once, he turned with her back towards their audience and spoke for the first time. "People of Bhujerba…and of the people south of the Beast's Rest. Many of you know who I am already by my face, but I come before you today to formally introduce myself. I am Crown Prince Keldar, Crown Prince of the Realm of the Keepers. I am also fiancé to Crown Princess Genevieve, who considers all of you as part of her extended family. Today I come before you for the first time, and humbly beg your pardon for my ignorance, and beg for your assistance in this endeavor that we will embark upon shortly.

I know…that I have not always acted in an appropriate fashion, rather hiding in my ignorance of the people and culture that lay south of the barrier mountains. However, thanks to Genevieve, my eyes have finally been opened. I know that I am late in doing so, but I wish to humbly beg your forgiveness, if you would so give it." He paused in his speech, looking downwards onto the floating platform that held the two of them up over their captive audience. "However, if you would give it, I swear to you upon my life's blood that I will never betray your trust and faith, and will do all in my power to assist Genevieve in ruling the Realm. I will do all in my power to keep the peace forevermore, and make sure those relations between the people of the capital and the people of the sky are never misused or mistreated again. This I do swear."

Silence reigned inside the Aerodrome for a solid minute. After that there were hushed whispers all over, people discussing and arguing. Of course they were still going to go into battle for their own princess, but what about this guy? Should they trust him, should they not? What if he defects against them yet again? Can they count on him in the end?

Geni held Keldar's hand tight, for she knew that part of her fate lay entwined with his. Her heart beat loudly in her ears, drowning out the whispers all around them. What will they decide?

Suddenly, on the floor of the Aerodrome, a piercing, proud squeak stopped everyone's thoughts. Several of the Moogles had jumped up onto large crates and were chattering at the top of their lungs in sync with each other. As people listened, smiles came onto their faces, and heads began to nod, and soon more people joined in the raucous.

Geni smiled widely, hearing Nono's sudden appraisal of the two of them. "Nono," she whispered happily.

However, not everyone in the Aerodrome could understand Moogle, and those who couldn't did not know what everyone was cheering about. Keldar raised his head slowly, listening to the people. "What did he say?" he asked her quietly.

She shook her head. "In simple terms, Nono and the rest of the Moogles support us completely. He wanted to know why all of the 'young people' here in the dome were hesitating, as if there had been anything to think about in making the decision."

"'Young people'?" Keldar asked, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed. "Moogles live even longer than humans do, but not as long as Viera, so Nono is about several hundred years older than Balthier even."

At this point the shouting reached an epic level, finally showing that an undisputed decision seemed to have been reached by everyone present, and a positive one at that. Geni smiled brightly, and let go of Keldar's hand finally, using it to bow to everyone present and in several directions. Keldar followed suite, knowing that it was better to still play it safe at this point. The cheers continued, louder if it were possible. Turning around, Geni grinned and waved up at her family and friends.

"Well that's a relief," Balthier said, exhaling. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen there for a moment."

"I take it that all people here approve of them then," Jote answered as she stood in front of her fellow Viera.

"That they do," he answered her, turning around. "It's just about time to get this show on the road then."

Riku looked down at the platform, watching as Geni began to wave to the people around her. He smiled, knowing that what she had done she had done with a purpose in mind; if she didn't show her support for Keldar, who would trust him? He shook his head, clearing his jealously-tinged thoughts. She had told him before about what she would be required to do, even things she didn't like, to help out those she loved. He had done the same thing, hadn't he?

Finally, Geni raised her hand for silence. It took a moment, but the crowd quieted down. She cleared her throat, ready to make her final speech. "We now board our ships and head to the capital city. For years, it has been known simply as the capital, the center of the Realm. Today, it shall be born anew, as we bring the seeds of revolution and truth to the people there! We fight for not only our honor, but we fight for our ancestors…our ancestors who sacrificed so much to honor the memories of those who fell in the great Keyblade War…who sacrificed themselves to seal away the darkness…those are the memories, the memories of who we are and where we came from that we are protecting this day!" she cried out as she finished.

A unanimous roar greeted her final words, and a mad struggle ensued as thousands of people scrambled for their respective ships. The platform slowly rose back up to where it had originally come from, its purpose complete.

"Time for us to go then as well," Balthier commented as he turned around. "What do you think Fran?"

"I agree," she told him, turning as well to see the other Viera already walking stately back towards the _Strahl_. "It is going to be a long voyage, indeed."

"We had better go and help her get dressed for the trip then," Penelo commented. "And Vaan will want me on the bridge of the _Freedom_ so we can take off."

"I'll get everyone aboard then," Balthier told them with a wave. "On we go," he said corralling them all towards his pride and joy.

"Are we leaving right away then?" Sora asked them as he assisted King Mickey off of the ledge. He followed behind the small king, Kairi and Riku on either side of him as they walked.

"As soon as your sister gets here, we will," Balthier affirmed. "Since the _Freedom_ and the _Strahl_ are the flag ships, we have to leave first. I'm assuming we'll be following the _Freedom_ out though. Nono and the other Moogles are coordinating us out of here, and then it's up to us to keep this fleet together." He stepped up the metal stairs and bowed his head slightly as he passed through the metal doorway and onto the ship. "The Viera have already told me they will be waiting down by the cargo, where the ceiling is the highest for them to stand. I assume you'll be taking the back room like last time?" he asked as he paused on his way to the cockpit.

"Of course," King Mickey answered for them. "When Geni and Keldar arrive, please let them know. Otherwise we will prepare ourselves for takeoff."

"Fine then," Balthier said with a nod. "I'll leave you to yourselves then," and with that he walked towards the front of the ship.

Heading in the opposite direction, the six of them walked towards the back of the ship and into the sitting room they had occupied on the previous flight. "It feels like we just left here," Kairi mentioned to them as they walked into the small room lined with benches and a few small chairs.

"I know what you mean," Sora told her as he plopped on a bench directly across from the door. "Except I think this flight will be a little longer."

"And silent," Riku added. "We're aiming for a surprise attack, remember? Hopefully we won't be spotted until we are right over them."

"They'll probably dim the outside lights, or turn them off completely," Donald told him, "but that would also be just as dangerous for the rest of the ships too if they can't see one another. I suppose they'll each have one front and one back light on for safety purposes. We'll just have to fly high enough to look like stars."

"Yes, but what about the moon?" Sora added. "Do you remember what Geni said, about what Lirona told her when she was dying? _'On the night before the end, look to the glory flying past the moon and stars to show you the way.'_ We still have that to figure out."

"We probably won't have to," a tired voice said from the door. Sora looked up to see Geni standing there, Keldar directly behind her. "Hey guys."

"Geni!" Sora said, jumping up to run over to her. He looked at them both, wrinkling his forehead. "You two look exhausted."

"Thank Fran and Penelo for that," Keldar told him with a grim expression, gently pushing Geni into the room. She walked forward, aiming for an open spot to the left of the only port window in the room. She plopped down on the bench, sighing, while fiddling with some long leather bracers that covered her entire forearm. Keldar sat down on the bench across from her, on the opposite wall, at least a little more gracefully. "After getting out of those ridiculous get-ups they had us in, we had to put our battle armor on."

Sora blinked as he stood in front of them, now fully noticing what the two of them were actually wearing. "Oh, wow," he said, trying not to snicker. "I think they were worried that you might hurt yourselves just a bit."

"Can it Sora," Geni said with a weary wave of her hand. She was wearing her old outfit again, but this time she had on a full vest which looked like leather covered plates all sewn together on it covering her entire upper torso. Leather bracers covered her forearms from her wrists to her elbows, with long boots up to her knee which were covered with her old pants. Her upper arms were bare except for a few bands of metal, and a leather-covered metal collar around her neck. Her hair was back down in its normal braid, and the silver crown gone replaced with a leather-covered metal band in its place (similar to the one on her neck). At her waist was her trusty belt with Songuraita in it, plus several pouches holding medical equipment for the battlefield. "It's hard enough to move with all of this on."

"At least they aren't forcing you to carry a shield. What is this, the dark ages?" muttered Keldar in an irritated voice. He also wore his old uniform, but his armor was a bit different. His entire upper body, including his arms, was covered in metal plating which extended slightly passed his waist, and was not leather covered. He had gauntlets as well, cloth underneath to easily hold his sword but the knuckles covered in hardened leather. He had knee high leather boots which his pants were tucked into, and thick leather knee pads on top of those. Like Geni, however, he did sport the leather-covered metal bands around his throat and head. At his waist was the purple scabbard which held his sword, and lying by his feet was a thick metal shield, pointed at the bottom with three upper points at the top, several Keyblade-like symbols on its front.

"At least they allowed you to dress yourself," Geni said, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back on the wood. "I didn't think leading an army was so tiring."

"It's the anxiety," King Mickey explained to her, walking over and putting his hand on her knee. "You feel like everyone on these ships is your responsibility as of right now, don't you? Even though they can all take care of themselves, you want to make sure that each one of them doesn't even get a single bruise."

Opening her eyes, she looked down at her foster father. "You must feel like this all of the time," she told him with an understanding smile.

"Most, but not all…learning to deal with it comes with experience," he added with a laugh. "But that is an easy remedy: we have plenty of time in which to get there, so take a nap."

"A nap? I doubt I could sl-" but just as she was saying that, a yawn threatened to escape from her mouth. King Mickey raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Alright, alright, I'll take a nap. But make sure I'm up more than an hour before we arrive, and if anything happens, alright?" she threatened, standing up and stretching.

"We will," Sora promised her. "Just go borrow one of the beds from the infirmary."

"I will. See you all soon," she added with a wave as she disappeared out of the door. At that moment, the ship's engines suddenly flared to life, causing a large tremor to echo throughout the ship. "We're leaving," Geni's voice called from the hallway. "Hang on for a second."

Everyone quickly sat down and braced for takeoff. The ship lurched off of the floor of the Aerodrome, moving around a bit, until Balthier was in the correct position to take them out through the ceiling and towards the center of the enormous building, Fran assisting him through the process. As the central open column came into view, he could see the _Freedom_ slowly ascending through the roof. He entered the area slowly, following the enormous ship's shadow, and began his own ascent towards the open sky. Once he had cleared the glass dome, he flew towards where the _Freedom_ was hovering in midair.

Geni sat against the wall, waiting for the initial lurches and swaying movement of the ship to even out before she knew they were clear of the Aerodrome, and stood to make her way towards the infirmary closer to the cockpit. As she arrived at the door, she called to Balthier and Fran and told them she was going to rest for a bit; she didn't have to mention that Fran and Penelo had both told them the same thing when they went their separate ways on the ship.

Closing the door behind her, Geni sighed as she walked over to the farthest bed in the corner of the room. Sitting down on it, she removed her boots but left the rest of her garb on. Although it was a tad inconvenient, it wasn't all that uncomfortable. She laid her head back on the sole pillow, staring up at the ceiling as the sky remained motionless outside the window.

_Am I really ready for this?_ she thought to herself. _What if I'm not? What if we're too late? What happens that even if we win, that everyone will still think we're traitors? I know Lirona told me to be true to my heart and to my song, but what if my mind still doubts what my heart knows to be true?_ She groaned in protest, throwing herself on her side and facing the windows as she growled in frustration.

Back in the spare room, these doubts were present but not spoken upon. However, Keldar was worried about something else besides those. _What had she meant, when she started talking about our ancestors? What do they have to do with any of this? And I never thought Geni had paid much attention to them, considering she isn't of direct lineage – like I am._

One last person voiced this concern. "Balthier, it happened again during her speech. Some_thing_, or some_one_, is trying to control her…from within her," Fran told her copilot quietly, for once an obviously fearful look on her face.


	39. The Battles Begin

Chapter 38

Bhujerba slowly receded from view as the vast fleet of ships made its way north towards the mountains that separated the northern part of the Realm from the southern half. They hid themselves high above the clouds, eyes glued to screens and ever on the lookout for hidden ships from the royal air force. One hour into their journey, and so far nothing had been seen of their adversaries.

Balthier leaned back in his chair, worrying his bottom lip. "This is just too easy," he said quietly to Fran, who scanned their monitors intensely, searching for any movement other than the fleet.

"I agree," she said, once again checking the signals from the rest of the ships who flew behind them. "But is it not how they say, 'do not watch a chocobo's mouth'?"

Balthier chuckled. "'Don't look a gift chocobo in the mouth,' I know. But I still have this feeling we're flying right into a trap."

"You are not the only one," his partner told, turning her head to peer at him. "Jote, the Viera elders, Vaan, and Penelo also expressed the same trepidation."

"Not like we can turn away though," he told her, sitting forward and peering at the open space in front of them. The _Freedom_ was to their right, and centralized behind them the hundreds of smaller ships with the rest of their miniature army. Even so, all Balthier could see was the slowly looming form of the Beast's Rest, and clouds as far as he could see. They were staying above the cloud line not only to keep themselves hidden from view, but to avoid the snowstorms that were once again plaguing the mountains as well. "Can't see a bloody thing," he mumbled grumpily as he sat back in his chair.

"Do not fret over what you cannot change," Fran advised him. "It will only lead to more wrinkles on your forehead."

Balthier immediately pressed the fingers of his right hand against his forehead, checking for said wrinkles – Fran always told him that he worried too much, and that it was starting to show. He frowned, not finding any new wrinkles than those that had been there his entire life so far. "So you keep telling me." He sighed, slumping back in his chair once more. "I will be so bloody glad when this entire thing is over."

"I agree," Fran said, looking back down at her monitor, silencing their conversation as they flew on through the afternoon sky.

Back towards the rear of the ship, the Viera were either sitting, standing, or leaning against the walls as they spoke softly, trying to block out the harsh noises that the humes and anthropomorphic animals were making in the room just above them.

"Fine, but I still don't see why we can't go with you!" Sora protested, staring at Keldar from across the room. They had been at odds for a while now, ever since Keldar had begun discussing with them the plan he and Geni had come up with.

"But it makes the most sense," Keldar said in a no nonsense voice. "If we split up, the two of us heading towards the temple, and the rest of you heading towards the palace, we have twice as many chances of running into Donovan as we would if we had stayed as one large group. Besides, you heard what Lirona said – we have to perform the ceremony before Donovan can. And that means heading towards the temple first. On the other hand, if the six of you head towards the meeting with the Imperial Council and the Defense Assembly, he might be there as well, still trying to change the laws for the time being."

"Splitting up does make sense, but what if Donovan is at the temple, and has brought a multitude of Guards to assist him in defending it while he is trying to go through the Initiation? Sora has a point – either we split up as a group, or the Viera go with you two – they know more about this place than we do, I suppose," King Mickey interjected into their argument. "However I do outright agree with Sora – you two shouldn't go alone."

"I agree, but the more people we take the more likely there's a chance of us getting spotted and detained before we can even get there!" Keldar sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, two warriors and that's it. Any more than that and we'll have every Guard on our tail in less than a minute. Besides, if Donovan is at the palace, he'll know immediately what's going on if we aren't with you."

"Maybe he doesn't have to," Sora spoke slowly, thinking through his words carefully.

"What do you mean Sora?" Riku asked his best friend.

"What if Geni could be in two places at once?" he said to them, crossing his arms in front of him as he narrowed his forehead in thought.

"…okay, I'll bite. How can she be in two places at once?" Riku asked, trying to clarify his thought.

Suddenly Kairi laughed. "Oh no, Sora, you are so not thinking what I think you are thinking!"

"And what if I am thinking what you think I am thinking?" he retorted back to his girlfriend. "If it will help Geni, I'll put my pride on the line for it."

"Oh no…no no no no…no way," Keldar said, immediately standing up and putting his hands out in front of him. "No _way_ will I be any part of that."

"Part of what? I don't quite get it," Goofy said, scratching his head. "What do you plan on doing Sora?"

Sora grinned. "Why Goofy, how do you think I would look in a dress?" Sora said in a slightly higher pitched voice, placing his hand on his hip and batting his eyes at him.

Goofy snorted, covering his mouth with both of his oversized hands. Sora's imitation of his sister even earned a derisive grunt from Donald, who shook his head while trying to hold in his laughter. King Mickey didn't know whether to laugh or scold Sora for his bad imitation, but decided on the former. "Sora, you may do a bad impression of your sister, but you do have a point there. What about a diversion? Having two Geni's, and two Keldar's? The real Geni and Keldar will head immediately over to the temple, while the fake Geni and Keldar will go to the palace. That way Donovan won't know either way where the real ones are headed – at the least it will buy us some time," he finished. "What do you think?"

Keldar was silent for a moment as he considered King Mickey's plan. It was simple, and obvious once in motion, but he was right – it would buy them the time they needed. "It's…possible," he finally admitted. "But to disguise yourselves as us takes some high end spells and magic. The only people I know on this ship who would even have that knowledge and enough power to do so are Genevieve and Fran. And since she's sleeping right now, we'll run it by Fran first, see what she thinks, then send a message over to the _Freedom_ and let Vaan and Penelo know that our plans have changed slightly."

"You should be too though," King Mickey pointed out. "At least go and rest while we speak with Fran and the others. I'm sure it will take some time to smooth out the finer details, and knowing Geni all she'll need to hear is 'this is what you have to do' and it will be done. Come on," King Mickey told him, hopping off of the bench he had been sitting on. "I'll be back soon to let you all know if this is going to work," he told the others, pushing on Keldar's legs to get him moving out the door. "Good idea by the way Sora."

"Anytime!" he called as the small mouse king and the tall human began their short walk down the hall towards the infirmary and the cockpit.

They walked in silence for a moment, until King Mickey interrupted it with yet another question. "Are you alright with this?" he asked Keldar quietly, looking up at him as they plodded down the corridor. "With the plan Sora suggested, I mean."

"It is a good plan," Keldar admitted in a low voice. "And of course Fran and Genevieve can pull it off. It's just what is going to happen once we arrive and put that plan in motion that has me worried. Donovan is not someone to be taken lightly – I am sure by now he has hundreds of Guards surrounding the palace, the buildings where the Imperial Council and Defense Assembly are housed, and hundreds more on the path to the temple and around the temple itself." He stopped speaking for a moment, memories from when he was younger creeping to the front of his mind. "Ever since I was born, I was treated as a warrior, someone who would take the mantle of my family as the greatest warrior in the universe, the leader of the Defense Assembly when my father retires."

"Your father?" King Mickey questioned him.

Keldar nodded. "He has been the leader of the Defense Assembly for most of my life; his rigid schedules and strict teaching was probably what gave me my hard-headed attitude that Genevieve has had to put up with all these years."

King Mickey laughed. "I'm sure like any father he was only looking out for you and your best interests." At this moment they reached the door of the infirmary, the only sounds heard coming from the rumble of the engines far below them. King Mickey patted Keldar's leg. "Get some rest – both of you will be needed soon enough."

"Of course. Please come and get us if anything happens in the mean time," he told the king, bowing to him a little. Straightening, he opened the door to the infirmary, the small cabin dark inside, and closed it softly behind him.

Keldar stood there momentarily, hearing a soft pit pat recede from the door and continue on its way towards the cockpit. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cabin, the only light from the small window on the far fall, he saw the two beds and several cabinets of medical equipment. He could hear soft breathing sounds, slow and steady, from the farther bed. Walking over and around the first bed, he stood and gazed down at her sleeping form.

She had fallen asleep on her side, facing the wall, as she had tossed and turned. Her boots lay haphazard on the floor, the only item of clothing she had taken off. Curled into a fetal like position, her feet were crossed and her toes curled up closer to her knees. Her arms and hands she cradled against her chest, the slow rise and fall of it the only motion seen.

Keldar watched her for many moments. He had never seen her asleep; at least, not comfortably like this. Twice in the entire time that he has known her, she had been asleep: the first time when he had carried her to the Healer's Pavilion, when she had stayed for a lengthy amount of time there healing after being so brutally beaten, and two nights ago when he stayed in the cavern within the Infinite Canyon. Yet all of those times she had slept restlessly, tossing and turning, fighting her nightmares. He had never once seen her sleep so peacefully; always on edge, always waiting for the inevitable danger to lurch her to wakefulness.

However, he was to be wrong about this time as well. Suddenly, Geni's forehead creased, her eyes searching behind closed lids, her breath coming in shorter pants. "No…no…" she whispered, her fingers tightening unknowingly.

Keldar immediately knew he had to do something, but wasn't quite sure what. He opted for gently placing his hand on her arm. "Genevieve…wake up Genevieve," he said, shaking her slowly.

In a flash of movement, Keldar found himself pressed against the floor, the cold metal of a staff against his throat as Geni held him down. Her left arm pinned both of his hands above his head, while her right held Songuraita at his Adam's apple. She sat on his chest, her legs holding down his. Her eyes were unfocused, blurry, her breathing short and shallow…still caught in the throes of whatever nightmare held her.

Keldar struggled to release himself from her dead weight, but found himself quite unable to. "Genevieve…Genevieve get _off_ of me," he growled at her. This earned him less oxygen entering his lungs as she stared down at him, breathing heavily.

_Shoot. I guess that isn't going to help_, he thought to himself. Even though he hated to lose to her, he stopped moving and struggling against her grip. Softening his voice, he said, "Genevieve, wake up. It's me, Keldar. Remember? You were having a nightmare…"

Geni blinked slowly a few times, shaking her head. "No…no, I have to…"

"Genevieve listen to me. You're in the _Strahl_, in the infirmary – you were _sleeping_," he pressed, keeping his tone even and calm. He was surprised to see that she wasn't fully awake, as if she was sleep walking.

"The…_Strahl_?" she repeated, easing her grip on him.

Keldar took this chance to push against the hand that was pinning his to the floor; to his delight Geni allowed him to push her hands away, and then quickly put his hand in front of Songuraita and pushed it away from his throat. "There you go," he goaded her, just like a child. Slowly he pushed her back until she was sitting on the floor and he was sitting up, rubbing his throat gently. However, after a moment, he realized that the room was still silent except for the breathing of the two of them. Looking up, he was surprised to see Geni half asleep, watching him through lidded eyes, her arms limp beside her. However, what surprised him the most was the few tears that were running down her face. "Genevieve…?" he questioned.

"I shouldn't have left…" she whispered. "…if…if I hadn't…they would…they would still…"

Keldar suddenly put two and two together, figuring out what her nightmare had been all about. _So much for fake smiles_, he thought to himself. He knew that she always took things too seriously, and never shared it with anyone…well, anyone besides the Queen, Madame Lirona, and probably Elwen. Steeling his pride, he found himself doing the one thing the Keldar of one week ago would never _ever_ have done: he slid forward and enveloped her in his arms, hugging her to his chest. She was warm, but limp as she lay against him; he looked down into her sun kissed brown hair, noting how her spikes hung around her face, her long twisting braid hanging down to almost the bottom of her back. He bent down, speaking to her in a gentle voice.

"Even if you had stayed, nothing would have changed," he said quietly into her ear. "Donovan would have hurt you too."

"…"

Hearing no reply, he continued. "The only thing you can do now is avenge them and make sure everyone knows the truth. That's what you said, right? That you were going back to free everyone from Donovan, to tell them the truth, to show them that he's the bad guy and you aren't. From now on you need to tell me, or someone, if there's anything bothering you – you can't keep it all bottled up forever. If you keep putting the weight of the world on your shoulders, the only thing that will happen is that it will crush you, mind and body alike. So next time tell me, or tell someone, alright?" he said, taking a deep breath. Hearing no reply, he almost laughed when he heard a soft snore. "Talking to myself yet again," he complained softly as he switched his arms around. He leaned Geni back against his left arm, placing his right under her legs, and heaved her up. His eyes widened in surprise; he had forgotten how light she was, as if she were a feather rather than a person.

Turning around, he walked slowly towards the bed. He laid her down softly on her back, legs first followed by her head on the small pillow. She barely stirred, her head shifting to the side, away from the wall. Keldar bent down, wiping away the few tears on her face, an odd tightening feeling grew in his chest. He knew what this emotion was; he had felt it that first day they had met. It was a fierce wave of protectiveness, to protect this girl whom had called him friend more often than he had ever been one to her, to protect this girl who had been through so much in her short life that no one should have ever had to experience. He drew back his hand, balling it into a fist. _Donovan, you will pay for your treachery, I'll make sure of that personally._

Suddenly, Keldar had to stifle a yawn. Smiling to himself, he turned around and sat down on the small bed opposite to the one Geni now occupied yet again. Taking off the enormous boots, he placed them on the floor next to him and lay back on the bed, his feet trailing off an inch or two beyond it as he placed his arms behind his head. Staring up at the ceiling, he sincerely hoped that by this time tomorrow, this would be all over.

"And so that's his idea," King Mickey finished about fifteen minutes later. "What do you think?"

Balthier laughed. "So simple, yet so elegant! He'll never see it coming," he snickered.

"It is quite possible," Fran told him, clicking her long claws against the edge of her seat. "It will take a short while of preparation, but we have nothing but time, no? Let us contact the _Freedom_ and discuss it with Vaan and Penelo. Jote and the Viera elders will want to know of this new plan as well." Fran pulled up a secondary screen in front of her and tapped on some symbols that wavered slightly under her touch. In moments, a slightly static voice came out from over the speakers.

"This is the _Freedom_. _Strahl_, we've received your beacon. What can we help you with?" a male voice said to them.

"Kytes, put us through to Vaan and Penelo please," Fran told him.

"One moment," Kytes said. There was a pause, and a continued static, until Vaan's voice suddenly boomed into the small cabin.

"Fran? Balthier? What's wrong?" he asked them, worry in his voice.

"Nothing is wrong boy," Balthier said with a sigh. "However, I believe we've had a slight change of plans on this end."

"Change of plans? What do you mean?"

"We are going to separate into two groups when we land," Fran explained to him. "Sora came up with the idea to disguise himself and another person as Geni and Keldar, and try and confuse everyone so they won't know immediately where they are heading once we land. The false couple will go to the palace, while Geni and Keldar will immediately head towards the temple."

There was silence as Vaan considered this new plan. "What do Geni and Keldar think of this plan?"

"Keldar agrees with it, and Geni is resting – but we're sure that she will," King Mickey interjected. "Fran even knows that the two of them together can weave the spells that we need to do this."

"Of course they can," Penelo's voice suddenly cut through. "And I like it! We'll confuse them even more."

"Alright, alright," Vaan said, and there were some rustling noises. "Let us talk to Jote and the other Viera about this, but start making preparations for the spells you'll need. Get the others to lend a hand; otherwise you two will be too tired to do anything else by the time we get to the capital."

"Roger that," Balthier said. "We'll cut off transmission now, and contact you again when preparations are ready. Talk again in one hour." Fran cut off the transmission to the _Freedom_, leaning back in her seat. "What all do you need to do now?" he asked her, looking at her from an angle as he watched the sky in front of him.

Fran was quiet for a moment, and two males in the cabin waited for her response patiently. "The spells for changing a person's outward appearance are not that simple, but can be done in a short amount of time. However, I believe it would be best to instead use a cloak of concealment since I do not believe we have all of the necessary ingredients on board to complete that complicated of a spell."

"Is it like the spell she showed us at the Academia?" King Mickey asked her. "When she used her flute?"

Fran shook her head. "No, we will need a more thorough set of spells. To make a cloak that will turn Sora into Geni, and to make someone else into Keldar, they will need a part of the other person – a physical part of them. It will mask their true form, their true powers, until the spell is released."

"A physical part of them? I don't understand."

"A piece of hair, a part of a nail, some flakes of skin, anything will work," she told him. She saw him turning a slight shade of green. "Most people use hair though," she quickly added.

King Mickey looked visibly relieved. "That's alright then. How much hair?"

"An inch or so, at least, imbued with enough of the original persons essence to mask that of the person they are giving it to. However…I am worried that Sora and Geni are too alike for this spell to work."

"Too alike? I would think that would be a good thing for once," Balthier piped in.

She shook her head. "No, in this case it is good since they are physically similar, but since their powers are so different – being light and dark – their essences won't match up at all. It will take some detailed work to conceal Sora's light for a short time."

King Mickey laughed. "He's already promised to do whatever it takes to help her, so I don't think he'll mind very much. Are you going to start preparing now, or shall I get the others to help you?"

Once again she shook her head no. "No thank you; I will have the other Viera aboard assist me for now, as well as loaning their power to me for the spells. We Viera have an abundance of energy compared to Moogles and even humes. No, we will prepare the spells for down in the cargo hold where there is the most room; it should take us a little less than an hour to prepare it on our own, and then I will have to wake Genevieve to have her assist me. However, can you please go and tell Sora that we will need him at that point, and we must also pick someone to take Keldar's place. I assume because of his height that Riku would be the best choice," she added.

"I agree," King Mickey told her. "I'll go and let them know then." He turned around to leave, but Balthier stopped him.

"Oh, one thing your majesty," he told him, turning around. "We'll be flying over the summit of several peaks of the Beast's Rest during the next hour, so there might be a little turbulence."

"Thanks for the warning," the small mouse king said, chuckling as he turned around. Walking out of the cockpit, he strolled down the walkway inside of the _Strahl_, several things running through his mind. As he passed the door to the infirmary, he listened through the door, but nothing could be heard beyond the dull roar of the engines below them. Smiling, he continued on to the back of the first level of the ship, and reentered the small room where the five had waited for his return.

"– and I don't believe that she would let you…oh, hello King Mickey," Riku said, turning to face his long time friend as he entered the room, effectively cutting off his previous conversation to Sora. "How did everything go?"

"Well, according to everyone the plan is doable. Sora, you'll take Geni's place, and Riku…well, due to your height, would you be willing to take Keldar's?" he asked him, looking up at him with a strange expression. "I know you two have never really seen eye to eye –"

"Yes they have – they're the same height," Sora interrupted, snickering; payback for Riku's sudden cutoff earlier.

"Yes, yes, we know," King Mickey sighed. "But still, are you alright with this? You don't have to if you don't want to – I'm sure Goofy can do it just fine as well," he finished.

Riku shook his head, smacking Sora on the back of his head as he stood up. "No, I'll do it. Someone has to watch Sora's back."

"Hey!"

"Alright. Fran said she'll need us in a little under an hour, when she wakes up Geni to have her help her with the spells she'll need to perform. For now all we can do is wait, and hold on in a bit – according to Balthier in a short while we'll be heading over the peaks of the Beast's Rest."

"More waiting?" Sora whined, slumping on the bench. "That's all we've been doing. How long is it going to take us to get to the capital anyway?"

"From the sounds of things, it seems that Bhujerba isn't too far from the mountains," Riku thought out loud, "if we were only two hours or so away from them when we first left. I'm guessing that since – although we flew out of the capital, which was faster – it was most likely two or three days travel by foot from the capital to the mountains. So if we're flying, it will only be a few more hours after that. We'll be landing after dark; good for coming in stealthily, but bad for coordinating a fleet this size to land."

"That will be the _Freedom_'s job anyway though," Donald pointed out, "since we'll be flying past them and over the capital, towards this temple on the opposite side of it. I think if anyone raises the alarm over anything, it'll be if they spot us. However, since we'll still be flying high over the clouds, hopefully the fleet will distract them from us."

"That is true, but…" Kairi trailed off. "You guys, I still have doubts about this entire mission…what if something goes wrong? What if something should happen to Geni and Keldar while they're on their way to the temple? I mean, I know that the Viera are strong, and can protect them as well as any of us could, but…"

"Kairi, it's okay – you aren't the only one with doubts about this," Sora told her as he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him a little. Kairi leaned her head on his shoulder, her crimson hair draping over his arm. "All of us are worried about this. I can't even begin to imagine what's going through their minds." He didn't even have to say who he was referring to. "They have the most to lose in this; if we don't succeed now, everything will be lost."

Sora's somber comments left the group in a quiet state of unease, thinking about the situation. If Geni and Keldar failed to reach the temple and begin the Initiation rites before Donovan did, they stood the chance of him corrupting the ultimate power in the Realm and for that matter becoming unstoppable. On the other hand, if they could stop him, what would happen to Geni? Would she stay in the Realm of her own free choice? Would she _have_ to stay in the Realm for that matter because she _could_ not leave it? The ceremony she performed with King Mickey and Sora before they left the capital had apparently severed all ties with them, including to the outside universe, and no one had any idea how it would affect her if she tried to leave. For that matter, what did Geni want? Did she want to stay? Did she want to go home with them? Or would she split her time up between her multiple homes in the outside universe and the Realm once again? For once, not even Sora could predict what she would choose.

Approximately one hour later, there was a knock on the door of the infirmary. Keldar awoke with a start, snorting as he blinked his eyes. Looking around, he remembered where he was and sat up, hearing yet another impatient set of knocks at the door. He walked the few feet over and opened it, and seeing Fran standing there he asked, "You're ready then, I assume?"

She nodded. "Essentially. I need Genevieve for the last set of preparations before we can begin casting the spells on the cloaks for Sora and Riku." Keldar opened the door wider, allowing the light from the hall to penetrate the room. Even less light was coming through the port hole above Geni's small bed, indicating that the sun would soon set. Fran walked passed him, nodding, as she crossed the floorboards to where Geni still slept where Keldar had placed her. Bending down a little, she shook the girls arm. "Genevieve, time to wake up," she called to her softly.

Sleepy blue eyes blinked open, a yawn escaping before she could stop it. "What's the matter Fran?" she asked, slurring her words slightly.

"We have come up with a plan to assist in our cause – you must come and help me prepare the necessary spells," she told her, helping the small hume to sit up on her bed and shake the fog from her mind.

"Spells?" she murmured in response, rubbing her eyes. "What are we doing?"

Fran stood up to her full height, satisfied that Geni wouldn't try and crawl back onto the comfortable bed. "Your brother thought to disguise himself and Riku as Keldar and yourself; our group will split in two when we arrive so there will be two of you and two of Keldar to confuse the Guards."

Geni laughed, stooping down to pick up her boots. "That sounds like something Sora would think of. However those are some hefty spells – they'll require a lot of power."

"The Viera warriors will be assisting us," Fran affirmed as she walked back towards the door. Keldar was sitting on his own bed by now, putting on his own boots as he listened to their conversation. "We will perform the spell for Riku first, and then Sora. Since the two of you have opposing elements –"

"– darkness and light…our attributes don't match so it'll take a stronger spell to mask his light with my darkness," she finished, coming immediately to the same conclusion Fran had. "What will we be using as a synthesis? I would assume hair," she told her, fingering her braid in her hand.

Fran nodded. "Most likely – and most likely more from you than from Keldar."

Standing up, Geni straightened her armor. "Let's get to it then. How far are we?"

"The spells are in place, except where you must place yourself into as the caster, as well as your own power. The four Viera warriors will be placed into pairs – two for each casting to limit the drain on power. Riku and Sora have already been notified, and Riku is waiting down in the hold for us to begin. After we have rested, we will then cast the spells for Sora."

Geni stood, stretching her fingertips towards the ceiling. "That sounds good. Now what about the symbols on the floor?" she asked Fran as she began to walk out the door, the tall Viera towering from behind her.

"Chalk, since we do not have any earth, however –" she began, as their voices began to trail off and Keldar was left in a relative silence to finish dressing. He smiled to himself, looking towards the floor as he pulled the leather material tight against his knee.

"Alright, time to head down that way myself I suppose," he said to himself.

"Wait a moment hero boy," an older male voice said from the doorway.

Keldar looked up and sighed, seeing Balthier leaning against the doorframe. He also raised an eyebrow as he asked his next question: "Who's piloting?"

"Autopilot," he answered as he walked in a closed the door behind him.

As Keldar stood up, he swallowed nervously, regretting the next question he was about to ask. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, I do in fact." For the second time in the span of several hours, Keldar was pinned forcefully. This time, however, it was against the nearest wall and with Balthier's hand at his throat. Keldar tried to free himself, but when in a flash found himself about half a foot above the floorboards, he ceased his struggling. "Now you listen here," Balthier began in a very low and very quiet tone to avoid the supernatural hearing of his copilot. "I don't care if you've fooled everyone else aboard this ship with your promises of unswerving loyalty, but you listen to me and you listen well: if you do anything, _anything_, that ends up hurting her or causing her physical or emotional pain in any way _whatsoever_, I will personally cut your entrails from your belly and force feed them to you. Do we have an understanding?" he asked him, only expecting one answer.

"Y-yes," he managed to squeak out, his vocal cords pressed against his larynx to the point of almost suffocation. Inwardly, Keldar had never been more terrified of the fatherly sky pirate than he had at that moment. He would never admit it to anyone either, although he was fairly sure Balthier already knew that.

"Yes _what_?" he pressed him, almost coming nose to nose with him.

"Yes _sir_," Keldar answered obediently.

"Good." Balthier suddenly let go of him, dropping him to the floor. Although Keldar landed on his feet, he was slightly shaken. Smiling evilly at him, Balthier added, "Hurry up – they'll want you down in the cargo hold." Whistling to himself, he quickly walked out of the infirmary, throwing the door open and slamming it shut behind him, still whistling as he took his place back in his captain's chair.

Keldar pressed his hand to his throat, relieving the slight pain still there. _Note: never EVER cross Balthier when it comes to Genevieve._ Straightening himself out and making himself more presentable, he quickly walked out of the infirmary and headed towards the aft section of ship, walking down a quick flight of stairs towards the cargo hold and the engine room.

The solid metal door that separated most of the mechanical workings of the ship also shut out most of the noise. As Keldar passed it, he could only hear a low murmur of the enormous turbines. At the end of the short hall on the lowest level of the ship he entered to see a several large markings covering the floor, drawn in with chalk. The four Viera warriors who were traveling with them sat on some of the crates on the far side of the room, while Fran and Geni spoke together, pointing at the diagrams on the floor. Riku was leaning against the wall to his left as he walked in.

"Are they ready yet?" Keldar asked him, pausing mid-step to watch their progress.

"Almost," Riku told him. "I think they're just making sure that they both know what exactly they're going to be doing."

Suddenly Fran and Geni looked up, noticing that Keldar had arrived. "You're here! Good – now we can start," Geni told them. Turning around, she added politely, "We are ready for you two as well."

Two of the Viera stood, their heads only clearing the ceiling by inches. Carefully they walked over the chalk lines on the floor and stood in two of the circles on the far side of the diagram. Geni and Fran took their places carefully in two circles in front of them. "Keldar, stand in the circle on the left side of us and Riku, place the cloak in the circle on the right side of us," she added. This meant that the four women formed a square within their circles with the two men on the far sides of them. As Keldar took his place Riku laid the black cloak he had been holding on the floor. Almost immediately the circles and other symbols on the ground began to glow a soft white. "Good." Geni took a several deep breaths to calm herself.

"We are ready to begin lady," one of the Viera said quietly.

"Alright – Keldar, hold still." As one Geni and the other Viera closed their eyes and placed their palms together in front of them. The glow suddenly intensified from the floor, making it difficult to keep your eyes open. However the glow was the last thing to worry about, because all of a sudden the four women began chanting in a low but lulling tone.

Riku stepped back and watched the ritual with fascination, for once perceiving how old the people of this side of the universe were in comparison to his own. However just as he was musing on his Geni separated her hands, reaching it out in front of her – yet her eyes were still closed and she chanted an old and ancient language in her lilting voice.

"Ow! That hurt!" Keldar suddenly shouted, surprised. Riku turned his head to see a lock of his black hair floating towards Geni's outstretched hand. "Warn me next time!"

Geni paid him no attention as she now focused on the hair that floated between her hands, a glowing ball of light encasing it. Suddenly the chanting increased in tempo and rose in volume, magic pouring forth into the ball from the four women within the circles. Purple and green flowed into the ball effortlessly, clothing it with light and power. It doubled in size automatically, and continued to grow as Geni spread her hands, as if encouraging a flower bud to bloom.

When the ball of light was too bright to look at, and taller than Geni was, she released it away from her and towards her right where Riku had placed the cloak. He shielded his eyes from the light, shutting them tight to wait as the spell ran its course.

The ball of energy floated over and touched the cloak, causing it to rise up and tumble within an invisible washing machine. It glowed through many colors of the rainbow, contorting as an unseen artist sculpted the cloak into a human shape: an identical match to Keldar.

For Riku it felt as if the process had lasted agonizing hours rather than a few minutes. As the light slowly faded, the cloak fell to the ground innocently, looking completely unchanged. He walked forward and picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

"Try it on," Geni called to him. Nodding, Riku slipped the cloak over his shoulders and covered himself completely with it. Instantaneously he felt a strange change come over him. He stiffened, feeling a secondary presence envelope his body in a stranglehold. Fighting against it, he tried to lift his arms to remove the cloak, but found he couldn't move them very far.

"Slowly…it won't feel so weird after a few minutes," a voice told him gently as a hand was placed on his arm. "You okay over there?" Geni called.

"Oh, just fine – its fun to have your essence ripped out of you," Keldar mumbled, sitting on the floor while catching his breath.

She chuckled, gently grabbing Riku's arm and lifting it up and down in front of him several times. Repeating this process, Geni did the same thing with his other arm and both of his legs until Riku felt the weight slowly recede from him. From underneath the hood the only thing visible a mess of straight jet black hair. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked him softly, turning her head to get a better look at him.

As he removed his hood, Geni's breath caught in her throat. Deep, chocolate brown eyes stared back at her, a chiseled nose and elongated face to frame them. "Do I look the way I'm supposed to?" Keldar's voice announced, making Riku grab his throat in surprise. "Wait, I sound like him too?" a voice deeper than his own answered.

"Well, that was the point," Geni told him, shaking her head out of her daze. "How do you feel? Your skin might feel a little itchy, but it should stop soon enough." She paused to take a walk around him, nodding at their handiwork. "It looks passable to me. Fran?" she called.

The Viera walked over to the two of them after helping Keldar to his feet. "He feels like Keldar," she told her with a nod. "It will do."

"Good. After a short rest, let's bring Sora down and begin the next phase."

"Have you decided how much is going to be necessary?" Fran asked her.

Geni looked down at the floor, suddenly playing with the end of her braid as it hung over her shoulder. "Yes…more than I previously though. Oh, Riku." She laughed at his annoyance as his longer hair got in his eyes, and he growled in frustration.

Geni laughed at him. "Sit down – I'll fix it," she told him, pointing towards the crates. Riku walked the few feet over to them, finally adjusting to his new body as he sat down and watched as Fran spoke with the other Viera. Geni stepped around behind him, suddenly having a comb in her hands. "Hold still for a few minutes," she told him as he grabbed some of his hair and began to pull the comb through it.

It was a comforting feeling as she ran the comb back and forth through his hair, monotonous and soothing. Her deft fingers worked through the longer tresses of black until she had him tidied up, using a piece of string to tie his hair back into Keldar's trademark ponytail. Riku had been calmed significantly, and felt like he still had his own body even though it did not look like his. "There; now you two look alike." She patted his back to indicate that she was finished. "But don't worry – you'll change back into your normal self as soon as you take the cloak off."

As Riku stood, Keldar stepped forward and eyed him cautiously, looking over every single detail of his identical twin. "Not bad," he muttered, walking around Riku as if inspecting a slab of prize winning meat. "With the cloak on, you won't need to change the rest of his physical structure. He is a bit leaner than I am, but I don't think it is anything to worry about."

Geni rolled her eyes. "Let's get Sora down here and prepped for the next round. Can you two go get him please?"

"Sure," two Keldar's replied at once. They looked at each other at the same moment, and then shook their heads.

"Okay…this is just creeping me out. Go already!" Geni told them as she turned around and began fixing the diagram on the floor, redrawing some chalk lines that had been smudged.

Riku laughed in Keldar's voice, which made Geni hesitate momentarily in her drawing as she heard the two of them leave. Her expression softened, thinking back many years. "I've never heard him laugh like that," she admitted softly to Fran.

"Keldar, or the sound of Riku laughing in Keldar's voice?" Fran asked her just as softly as she walked over to join her.

"Him. He's never laughed, not even chuckled, once the entire time I've known him. It sounds so strange to hear him laughing, but not him laughing."

"Perhaps he's never had a very good reason to, or the will to," Fran told her, patting her on top of her head. "That might change after the events of today and tomorrow."

"Perhaps," Geni admitted.

The second set of twins ascended the stairs to the upper level of the ship, and immediately entered the sitting room. "Hey Keldar are they – whoa!" Sora shouted in surprise while jumping to his feet. "Two Keldars…something I thought I'd never see. Riku?" he asked, standing in front of the real Keldar and looking at him with a squinted gaze.

"Over there," Keldar said to him sharply, stepping backwards away from the shorter boy, stepping to the side to allow him to see Riku standing in the doorway.

"Uh, sorry," Sora told him, scratching the back of his head in mild embarrassment.

"We know it works then," King Mickey told Sora, standing up to walk over towards the two of them. "It really is remarkable what they can do, isn't it?" King Mickey closed his eyes. "I can't even tell you two apart by your power. It is as if there _are_ two Keldars standing here."

"That's because there are, thanks to the cloak he is wearing," Keldar told the king, going back and sitting down where he had earlier. "By the way, you're next," he told Sora. "They're waiting for you."

"On it!" Sora told them, dashing out of the room. As he headed down the stairs, he heard Kairi exclaiming over Riku's changes. He happened to wonder if he was uncomfortable with it, due to the fact that for most of the time he was asleep and for some time after he had taken the Heartless Ansem's body for his own. Shaking his head, Sora banished the thought. Riku had gone through with it, hadn't he? He would have said something if he didn't want to look like someone else. "Here I am!" he called as he stepped off of the last step and charged into the cargo hold.

"Come over here Sora," his sister called to him from across the room. She was standing with Fran and the other Viera, who were discussing something intently.

Sora noticed the argumentative atmosphere before he had even crossed half of the room. "What's the matter?"

Geni discreetly rolled her eyes at him, handing him a large black cloak. "The Viera and I do not agree on the amount of hair that is needed to perform the spell. They believe that the amount is too much that I am going to use, and only think that an inch or two will suffice. However," she said pointedly, "we are of two different essences – light and dark. And being Keybearers from outside of the Realm, we have two very different power levels as well. To cover your essence and change you into me, I think more is required to give you."

"Why? How much are you –" Sora began, but at that point the Viera turned and looked at him. Sora stepped back, noticing the feral looks in their eyes.

"It will be enough, as you have said," the lead Viera spoke to the both of them. "Please prepare yourselves."

Geni sighed, and turned to Fran. "Alright. This way Sora," she said, turning around to once again enter the chalk diagram on the floor. This time, however, she stood in one of the smaller circles to the left of the group of Viera, Sora walking over and placed the cloak into the circle on the other side of the Viera group. "Now, let's begin." She nodded to Fran.

As one the three Viera closed their eyes, the other two watching from their seats on the crates of cargo, they placed their palms together in front of them. As Fran started to chant with the other Viera, she began the first part of the spell to take Geni's hair from her head and give it to Sora, lacing him with her dark essence. She did it slowly, much more slowly than when Geni performed the spell for Keldar and Riku.

Geni closed her eyes, feeling an invisible pair of scissors begin to cut at her braid. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to ignore the sensation. Within moments, however, the hair was literally ripped from her head, causing her to cry out. "Ouch!" she called, rubbing the back of her head. She reached back and felt the missing four inches of hair from her braid; it was almost cut in half.

Sora watched with interest, noting the extremely large portion of braid that was suddenly floating through the air towards Fran. Without opening her eyes, she settled it between her hands, adding tendrils of green magic to it as the bubble of magic surrounding it grew and grew until it was almost larger than the Viera was. Letting it go, the bubble of magic floated over and settled into the cloak. The washing machine cycle persisted once again, until a Geni-shaped cloak figure was floating above the floor. The light disappeared with the magic, and it fell listlessly to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Sora called over to her, blinking the bright light out from his eyes.

"Head's a little sore, but otherwise fine. Try the cloak on!" Geni called to him as she sat catching her breath on the floor. Keldar was right – having your inner essence ripped out of you isn't much fun.

Sora nodded. Throwing the cloak over himself and covering himself head to toe, he suddenly experienced the same kind of out-of-body feeling Riku had only minutes before. "Whoa," he said in a slightly higher but definitively more feminine voice, leaning precariously from side to side as a slight dizzy spell overtook him, his body suddenly feeling heavier than it should be.

"It will pass," Fran told him as she began doing the same physical exercises as Geni had with Riku. She lifted his arms up and down, forward and back, as well as his legs until the heaviness began to diminish and he could move more freely on his own. "Feeling better?"

Sora nodded. "Much. Thank you Fran."

"You are welcome." The Viera diverted her attention over to her other charge. "Are you alright?"

"Just fine. How does he look?"

Sora pulled the hood back from his face. "Well?"

Geni smiled at him. "Perfect! And your voice matches mine as well. You know, this might actually work Sora. I can't sense anything but darkness coming from you right now."

Sora squirmed. "…I know. It feels…strange, to say the least."

"It won't be for long – as soon as you take the cloak off now, you'll transform right back into your old self," his sister reassured him. "Well, now that this matter is settled, shall we go?"

"It's taking quite a long time," King Mickey finally said, breaking the silence in the upper room as they all sat there waiting for Sora and Geni to finish with the Viera. "I hope nothing went wrong…"

"I'm sure everything went fine," Riku reassured him. However, it did not stop him from glancing up at the door once every few minutes.

However the sudden sound of female – all female, none male – laughter drifted in through the door, heralding the arrival of… "Hey everybody!" Geni called, jumping in through the doorway with her cloak billowing around her.

"Geni!" Riku called in Keldar's voice, standing up to go and greet her. "How did it go?"

"It went fine Riku," she called as she came walking in through the door. "Obviously it works."

Riku looked between the two of them, the cloak wearer to the armor wearer. He turned to the first Geni. "Sora," he stated.

"Of course! Same cloak, same difference!" he said with a grin. "Now who thinks my plan is stupid?"

"We never said that Sora," Riku told him, rolling his eyes. "It's just…a very _simple_, plan, that's all – with a lot that can go wrong."

"I know that!" he said indignantly in a shriller voice than he meant to. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "What I mean, is –"

A static noise suddenly cut him off as the speaker leading into the room came to life. _"Geni? We need you in the cockpit for a moment,"_ Fran spoke.

"On my way!" she called. "I'll be right back," she promised them. Turning around, she walked back out of the room. She heard the other Viera still down in the cargo hold, but Fran must have walked passed them to go by Balthier. It took her only moments to traverse the length of the ship; soon she had ducked underneath the shortened doorway and into the cockpit. She could see only twilight in front of her, outside the cabin of the ship; the sun was practically set and darkness was snaking its way across the land. "Fran? Balthier? What's up?" she asked them, coming forward and placing a hand on the back of Fran's seat.

"We're picking up some strange readings," Balthier told her, pointing at one of the middle screens.

"There is something high above us, flying through the sky – but our sensors cannot make out what it is. It is a small group, no more than fifteen or so." Fran turned around to look at Geni. "We are thinking about what Lirona told you."

"The glory?" she said, scrunching up her forehead in thought. "Is there any way to heighten the sensitivity to check?"

Fran shook her head. "Any more so and we would be risking detection. I have already contacted the _Freedom_, and they are looking into it as well. However, I believe that we may need a visual identification."

"I see…" she said slowly. _"'On the night before the end, look to the glory flying past the moon and stars to show you the way.'_ It could be them, I suppose, but how are the unicorns going to show us the way? Our navigation systems are still operational, but if not we know where we are going."

"I do not believe it has anything to do with physical navigation," Fran said, after a few moments of silent thinking. "Maybe it is a different path that Lirona was referring to. Possibly a choice?"

"It would make more sense," Balthier said, nodding. "What do you want to do?" he asked Geni while still looking forward as he turned the ship slightly in a minute course correction.

She was quiet for a few minutes as she pondered this information. "I'll go," she suddenly said. "Open the top hatch for me in a minute – but don't let the others know just yet. Contact the _Freedom_ and let them know that I'll be out there though."

"Are you sure? It will be very cold, since we are much higher over the mountains. Put on one of the thermal cloaks at the least," Fran asked her.

"I will," she said, turning around and opening a hatch near the doorway. From inside of it she pulled out a black cloak, similar to Sora and Riku's, except for the fact that it was imbued with warming spells and a double lining to keep out the cold. She threw it over her shoulders, fastening it around her armor. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised them as she walked out.

Walking as quietly and as quickly as she could Geni slipped passed the infirmary but stopped underneath a hatch in the middle of the hallway. Pressing a nondescript panel on the wall, the panel suddenly opened above her and a small ladder slid noiselessly to the floor. Geni climbed the small ladder until she was standing in a small room just above the hallway below her. She pressed a softly glowing red panel in front of her once she was up, and the ladder slid back up beside her and the hatch closed. As it did, the color of the switch turned from red to green.

Immediately Geni began preparing herself and her spell to activate her wings. She knew Fran and Balthier had received the signal, and were waiting sixty seconds for her to finish the spell before opening the door. If they didn't, the sudden pressure would suck her out into the night sky and leave her plummeting to her death. As it had before back in the Palace, she began to glow a soft purple. She felt the telltale itch on her back, between her shoulder blades, before her pair of almost luminescent white wings sprouted from her back – luckily, she had donned armor that had holes in those exact places to allow the new appendages room to move.

She moved them up and down carefully inside of the small space, flexing muscles she had not used in a while. The trip from the capital to her apartment and then to the forest had nearly wiped her out – she had not gone on such a lengthy trip in this form for some time. Even so, her movements were graceful – the wings moved according to minute changes in the muscles in her back, which took many years of careful practice. Flying at such a height, as well as in the cold, would test her skills to their maximum.

A sudden creak above her made her crouch down inside of the small room, and watch as the larger hatch above her was unsealed from commands from the cockpit by Balthier and Fran, opening into two door that were pulled back into the wall to leave the darkened night sky open to her. She felt the wind immediately dig into the new space, filling it with chilling breezes; pulling her cloak around her even further, Geni bent her knees and pulled her wings in close to her body, folding them around her carefully.

In a burst of practiced speed and strength, she hurtled herself up through the hatch and into the dark sky, suddenly buffeted from her left by the wind soaring up and over the front of the _Strahl_. It threw her backwards, narrowly missing the aft fins of the ship, before she was able to right herself and begin straining her wings against the headwind. She beat her wings steadily up and down, finding an even rhythm, before she even attempted to scale to greater heights.

Concentrating she blocked out the freezing wind and the buffeting gales to slowly begin her ascent through the clouds. Knowing they were passing over the Beast's Rest at that moment made her wary of what could be under or around her, but knowing that clear skies waited above the storms was a promise she was looking forward to. She dove once, using gravity to her advantage, and then changed wing direction to shoot herself up over one of the only thermal drafts she felt in the area. It would help her rise up, just like a bird would, and without as much work on her part. Using her arms as shields against the biting wind, she rose foot by foot steadily onwards. It took several minutes and several hundred feet or more, but finally she broke through the cloud cover and the blasting winds to find the calm above the storms.

She was greeted with the sight of a clear sky with a sliver of moon showing through, and millions of stars glittering like jewels across the cosmos. She smiled, before remembering the reason she had almost exhausted herself traversing the storm clouds. Turning her gaze upwards, she looked towards the moon and stars, as she had been instructed by Lirona. At first she could not see anything, try as she might. Curving her wings she flew towards the moon, east of the fleet, and higher into the atmosphere. By now it was almost zero degrees, and even the thermal cloak wrapped tightly around her was only doing a minimal job at sending out heat to her slowly numbing fingers and toes. Even so, she ignored the cold and flew higher, trying impossibly to reach towards the moon and to where hopefully the answer to Lirona's riddle as well.

"She's flying too high," Balthier said in a quiet but worried voice. He and Fran were tracking Geni's movements as she investigated the strange anomaly. "Whatever it is, it's too high for her to reach – her wings will be covered in ice before she gets to them."

"Have faith," Fran told him. "She is strong, and the ice won't be a problem for another six hundred feet yet. She has time."

"Hn, even so," he said back to her, his eyes dashing from screen to screen as he piloted through inky blackness. A sudden static drew their attention to one of the center screens. Fran pushed a few buttons and picked up the microphone as Vaan's voice cut through the silence.

"Balthier, Fran, this is Vaan on the _Freedom_. How is Geni's investigation going?"

"No word from her as of yet," Fran admitted. "We are following her, and she is rising higher closer to whatever they may be."

"I see. We are following her as well. The cold won't be too much of a problem for her, will it? Of course, we are above the Beast's Rest, so that is something of an entirely different nature to consider."

"It is bloody cold up here, no matter what, but flying even higher than she is already is going to put ice on her wings," Balthier said angrily. "If that happens, she had best take a moment to start defrosting herself otherwise it will be a quick trip back down."

"She does have a thermal cloak on, which will protect her from most of the cold," Fran told him. "But not all."

"I see." There was silence for an entire minute as each ship watched the tiny dot on their screens rise higher and higher. "Ten minutes. Then you signal her to get back there, got it?"

"Of course. _Strahl_ out." Balthier clicked off the transmission.

High above them, Geni could feel the cold biting into every part of her body. Even with her heavy duty armor and the thermal cloak on, the cold was all-enveloping. However, she continued on because she could now finally see in the dark distance several shapes flying quickly above her. Occasionally one of them would flash and twinkle in the little moonlight there was, but that only strengthened her opinion that they were indeed unicorns, and the glory as specified by Lirona.

Using a newfound reserve of strength, Geni cast a small warming spell into her wings, warming the joints enough to allow her to fly higher and faster. She dipped them up and down, rising higher and higher, until she was almost level with the creatures. Seeing as only several hundred feet separated them now, she assumed they would be able to hear her, and so called to them.

"Hello!" she shouted into the headwind. She could see the creatures hesitate momentarily, before ignoring her and dashing onwards on the wind. Groaning in irritation, she remembered what the unicorn had told her when he had healed her: unicorns were mostly telepathic creatures, speaking mind-to-mind. Forcing herself to fly faster, she tried again. _PLEASE WAIT!_ she called as hard and as loud as she could with her mind, closing her eyes in concentration.

The creatures stopped midflight, turning towards the human. Their leader turned from the front to the rear, placing himself between the rest of his glory and the human. _What do you want human?_ he practically spat at her.

_You are unicorns, are you not? A full glory?_ she called them, flying closer still.

_Of course we are! Are you blind? Now, I repeat: what do you want? We must leave this Realm before the darkness comes._

_The darkness?!_ she called in disbelief. Geni panted, hard, as she tried to keep up the pace she had been. She was exhausted from fighting the wind to the piercing cold, and it was consuming her. _Wait…please…I must…ask you…_ she tried to call, but her body suddenly felt heavier than it should, and she stopped moving her wings.

_Human, what is – hey, human! Flap those wings of yours otherwise you'll –!_ The leader saw Geni begin to plummet, ice coating her wings from back to tip.

"What –?! Bloody hell, she's falling!" Balthier swore, taking the controls of the _Strahl_ and changing their course.

In the rear of the ship, everyone was suddenly thrown against each other or a wall as the _Strahl _suddenly shifted course. Kairi flew into Sora, who proceeded to be launched into Goofy, who hit the wall with a thud. Riku held onto King Mickey, while Donald quacked furiously as he held Keldar's leg, who was bracing himself against one of the benches. "The hell was that?!" he cried.

"Why did we change course?" Riku asked over the small din.

"I don't know – but we had better go find out!" King Mickey told him, scrambling to his feet as the ship righted itself once more.

"Wait! Look!" Fran said, placing a hand on Balthier's arm. She was watching intently as the fifteen dots on their screen suddenly raced after the one falling quickly towards them. "They are going after her."

_Wake up little princess_, a velvety voice called.

Geni blinked her eyes open, shivering violently as she did. "Who?" she began, blinking slowly.

_I told you to call on me, did I not? You should not have come up so high,_ the voice admonished her.

She blinked her eyes open to see herself lying astride a strong white back, her arms curled around a white neck. Geni suddenly realized where she was, and sat up – too quickly, however, because the wind suddenly began buffeting at her again, making her colder than she already was. Which would be difficult, seeing as her fingers and lips were already turning a lovely shade of blue. _You!_ she cried mentally. _I thought you had left!_

_Not quite yet_, the unicorn replied, neighing.

_This is twice now that I owe you my life,_ she told her, leaning down and taking refuge in the waves of heat his body was releasing.

_We will return you to the _Strahl_, and then finish the task that was asked of us_, he told her,_ before we leave this Realm._

_Task? What task?_

_The task your Lirona asked of us long ago, when you were still very young_, he explained to her gently. _We are to guide you this night to the capital undetected so that you may take your rightful place as Queen._

Geni laughed. _So it was a literal translation. Thank you very much,_ she told him, curling her fingers in his mane as she slowly warmed herself back up.

_You are welcome – it is the least we could do to thank and honor her for all that she has done for us._

_Really?_ she asked him. _What did Lirona –?_

_That is not for you to know at this moment. Perhaps at a later time, but now we must get to work – now that we know where your flying machines are – and you must get to your friends and family and warm yourself before the inevitable battle._

_Alright_, she admitted. She watched as the unicorns flew as a group down towards the clouds, amazed at their beauty. They were in all colors of white, gray, silver, and black, yet shimmered in the tiniest amount of light like miniature suns. Their horns shone the most, acting like lanterns in front of their faces, as if to light the way. Feeling much warmer than she had, she stroked the almost velvet hair on her white unicorn's neck, watching the group delve into the cloud cover and almost disappear from sight.

_Which is the _Strahl_?_ the unicorn asked her.

_One of the two ships in the front – the smaller of the two, but larger than the rest_, she explained to him.

_We will catch up with them momentarily_, he told her. _They are waiting for you, yes?_

Geni nodded. _Probably worried, too._

_It did change its path a small amount when you fell_, he told her, _but then continued on its way._

Geni cringed. _Balthier and Fran know already then. Wonderful, to return to more than one earful._

The unicorn neighed, as if he were laughing, when suddenly the dark shape of curved metal swum up from beneath them. The glory descended, skimming the top of the ship, until Geni could see a dark shape with billowing white hair watching them approach from the hatch she had left by. _There_, she indicated to him. _Fran is waiting for me._

_The Viera? I see her._ The unicorn swooped down, leaving the glory momentarily, as he matched speeds with the _Strahl_ and hovered near the relieved Viera.

"You are safe," she immediately called through the wind, smiling at the human on the unicorn's back.

"Sorry," Geni told her sheepishly.

"Take in your wings, and we will warm you up," she told her.

Geni nodded, and closed her eyes for a moment as she retracted the spell. Her wings disappeared, leaving small glittering motes of magic suspended in the air around her. The unicorn proceeded to gain momentum, aiming ahead of Fran, before Geni unwound herself from him and jumped into Fran's waiting arms below. The Viera caught her expertly, quickly drawing her down out of the wind and placing an enormous thermal blanket around her still shivering frame. "Thank you!" she called up to the unicorn. He neighed in reply, before returning to his glory still flying above them.

Fran was silent as the hatch closed, before she kneeled down and put both of her clawed hands on either side of Geni's face. "You are rash," she scolded, "and take too many risks. What would have happened, had that glory decided to allow you to freeze?" Her red eyes bored into her. "They are waiting for you below."

"You told them?" Geni asked her, looking away.

"They came into the cockpit when Balthier maneuvered the _Strahl_ off course to catch you." Fran let her go, sending magic through her hands as she rubbed them up and down her arms to warm the girl up. "They are…not pleased."

Geni snorted, starting to feel better. "I'm not surprised," she told her, feeling her strength and the feeling in her arms and legs returning. "Better?" she asked, looking up.

"Yes. Can you stand?" Geni stood up carefully, her toes a little numb yet but all feeling back where it should be. "Good. I will descend first." Fran turned around and pressed the switch on the wall, this time opening the hatch in front of her and sending the ladder down. Immediately there was a clattering of noise below them, once the hatch was open, which was mainly the noise of angry voices.

"Fran! Is she with you?" Sora called up. "Is Geni okay?"

"She is fine," Fran called down as she placed one heeled foot on the rung. She continued to speak as she made her way down. "Cold, but fine – and we were right about the assistance Lirona spoke of."

"There really are unicorns out there?" Geni could hear Sora say in her voice, surprised.

"Yes. Genevieve, please come down now," Fran called up to her.

"Coming!" she called, before sighing quietly to herself. She picked up the thermal blanket from around her, sufficiently warmed up for the time being, and tossed it down the hatch first before slowly beginning the ascent herself. She ignored everyone until she carefully reached the bottom of the ladder, and turned around only to be assaulted by Sora as he put her in his death grip of a hug.

"Are you okay? What did the unicorns say? You're still freezing cold!" he exclaimed all in one breath – her breath, as it sounded. At his last sentence the thermal blanket was thrown over her shoulders once more by Fran, who was standing behind her.

"Nice to see you too Sora," she quipped, pulling the blanket around her further.

"What were you thinking?!" an indignant voice shouted in her ear. Geni winced, looking up at the real Keldar. "Even I know that the temperatures in the air above the Beast's Rest are less than freezing, and even below zero if you're high enough!" He looked down at her, gripping her shoulders. "You could have frozen to death!"

A look of irritation was beginning to form on Geni's face, a vein popping out on her forehead. "Hey, listen here –"

"He's right though!" King Mickey added in an angry voice, coming to stand next to her. "You weren't thinking you're actions all the way through, just rushing in without having any idea of what could happen to you!"

"Geni," Riku began in Keldar's voice, looking anxiously at the rest of the group with the raised voices, "we were only just concerned about you. It isn't like you haven't had enough life and death situations in the past few weeks. We just think you should have waited, and had one of us go with you."

The vein exploded. "And which one of you would have gone with me?" she suddenly shouted at them. "I don't see any of you magically sprouting wings out of your back! Balthier and Fran are piloting, and the rest of you wouldn't know your thermal ascending drafts from a cold descending current or cross wind! I know what I was doing, I know what I was getting myself into, and I was fine!" she said angrily, stunning everyone into a surprised silence. She made an indistinguishable noise of irritation before stomping off towards the bridge, her blanket and cloak flying out behind her.

Balthier could hear the shouting and stomping upon of metal even before he heard a small body throw herself into the seat behind him, the scowl he imagined digging into the back of his seat. "Problems?" he asked, smiling to himself.

"I swear…am I a child, Balthier?"

"Yes."

"Idiot," she snapped back at him.

"My dear, you are only fifteen. Even by our standards, and having been able to age farther than your family and friends by living here in the Realm, you are _still_ only a teenager."

Geni sighed in defeat. "A bunch of _teenagers_ are going off to save the universe…_again_."

Balthier winced. "Alright, alright. You've got us there. The Keyblade chose you four for a purpose though – to save Kingdom Hearts, the worlds, and even a parallel universe from darkness. Who are we to question that kind of higher power? Not that we could, of course."

"I hate destiny," Balthier heard her mumble under her breath. "And fate too, for that matter. What are faceless incorporeal entities to decide our futures?"

"Says the girl who's been fighting it and succeeding for most of her life," he answered with a laugh. "Now…what was with that little outburst just now? Care to explain?"

Geni turned her head towards the wall, looking at the riveted metal. "I'm sick and tired of everyone underestimating me. I'm not the same person I was…even a year and a half ago. I've changed, grown stronger, grown up for that matter. But no one seems to notice."

"What? You've filled out your armor quite nicely, I must say," he told her, leaning around to give her a wink.

She blushed furiously, unconsciously wrapping the thermal blankets around her further, blaming her flush on their heat. "That's the only thing you _ever_ notice – especially when it concerns women."

"What can I say? I appreciate works of beauty," he replied with a laugh. "Now, if that's all, I'm sure I can turn off the speakers now, right?"

"What?!" she shrieked, causing static on the speaker in the back room where everyone was currently standing. "Balthier, you –"

Fran shook her head, listening to her partner. "Now now, dear, wait a moment…I was only trying to help…don't look at me like that. Wait…put that down…wait…stop…!" Static, then silence as the transmission was cut off prematurely.

The Viera sighed. "He never knows when to quit," she said, mainly to herself, before walking out of the room and heading towards the cockpit to begin cleaning up her partner's mess. The others, on the other hand, mostly stood around looking very guilty.

"We still are, aren't we?" King Mickey began. "Treating her like the little girl she used to be, I mean."

"There is a fine line between shielding and sheltering," Keldar agreed. "It is…hard to stop, especially now, when for most of her life she has had to allow other people to fight her battles for her – physical battles, at least."

"Even so, at times she _has_ been stronger than I've ever been," Sora admitted. "There are some things she's done, stuff that she's gone through with a straight face that I would have given up at the start."

"She is stronger than we give her credit for," Riku said. "But it also isn't like we don't have a foundation for being or worried about her."

"Be protective…but not overbearing," King Mickey echoed. "In my eyes though, she'll always be that little girl running into my arms when I could still pick her up. Except now that the tables have turned, and she can pick _me_ up."

"Well…should we go and say something?" Goofy asked them, scratching his head.

"All at once? Probably not the best idea – she might think we're ganging up on her again." Riku closed his eyes in thought, but as he did quick steps entered the room. "You should all come up to the cockpit," Fran said in a slightly urgent voice as he opened his eyes. "Something's…happening around us."

"What?" he asked quickly. "Have we been spotted?"

"…no, nothing like that. Here, come and speak with Genevieve – she's communicating with the unicorns as we speak." Fran turned and walked quickly back out the door, her white hair swishing behind her. Riku immediately ran after her, following by the pounding of many feet as they all tried to fit down the corridor. They ran past several doors before Riku saw Fran duck into the cockpit and walk up behind her chair, placing a hand on the back of it.

"Now which way?" Balthier asked, turning the controls in an unknown direction as the rest of them tried to crowd into the tiny room.

"What's going on –?" King Mickey began to demand, before Fran hushed him with a wave of her hand.

There was silence until they heard Geni speak. "North…by northwest, towards the western harbor." Her voice was oddly soft and distant.

Fran motioned for King Mickey to step forward. As he did, everyone saw his eyes widen in wonder. "What –?" he began again.

Geni sat in the copilot's seat, her hands floating over the navigational screens in front of her. However, her eyes were blank, having turned the color of molten gold. She never blinked, only stared ahead blindly into the darkness. Her hands moved slowly over the screens, on one side a larger map of the entire region north of the Beast's Rest, and the other a map of the area surrounding the fleet at that current moment. "He says for us to stay behind him, and turn off all exterior lights on the ship. The rest of the fleet should follow the _Freedom_ on its current path."

"Roger that," Balthier said, and flicked several switches above his head. The lights in the cabin dimmed considerably, but left enough light to see the controls by.

"What's going on?" King Mickey said in a quiet voice to Fran. "Who is Geni communicating with, and how?"

"The unicorn that saved her in the forest flies with the glory who is now leading us. He is using his power to hide the _Strahl_, while the others are using theirs to hide the fleet until we reach the capital. You can see him just ahead of us."

Everyone in the cabin turned towards the forward window, only to see a small glimmer of light racing ahead of them. "That's him?" Sora said from the back of the group. "I can barely see him."

"This will be the last time we'll see him," Geni suddenly spoke. "As soon as he and his glory have guided us safely and invisibly passed the outer edge of the capital and to our destinations, they will leave this Realm until the battle is over." She paused, and then chuckled. "He said good luck, and he will return once the light has overcome the darkness."

"Cliché," Balthier answered, if a bit dryly. "Well, give him our thanks for guiding us. You're sure we're invisible to sensory magic?" he asked dubiously.

Geni was quiet as she communicated telepathically with the unicorn. "As invisible as the wind is to our eyes. We're passing the outermost residences and businesses as we speak. It will take only another ten minutes at this pace for us to land on the other side of the capital and set down."

"Wait, we're that far already?" Kairi asked her. "I thought we were still over the mountains, or at least that large forest."

Geni shook her head. "We're flying in what you could think of as an accelerated vortex, creating by his power. The _Strahl_ is going twice as fast as its fastest speed right now."

"Which is an impressive feat in itself, seeing as we have the fastest ship in the Realm," Balthier told them. "Now, since we are almost there, I want all of you to prepare yourselves. Tell the Viera in the cargo hold that we'll be landing in ten minutes, and that we'll be separating then as well."

"On it," Keldar said, smirking. He had been itching for a battle ever since their return from the Infinite Canyon. He rested his hand on his empty pommel, in which is sword would rest in a few minutes. "We'll set things right."

Looking forward, Geni smiled sadly. _I hope so,_ she thought to herself. _If not for me, at least for my people._

_Believe in yourself, little princess, as well as those who stand with you. They will not let you fall. However…_

_Yes?_ she inquired.

_Are you truly ready for this? You will be tested, unlike anything you have every experienced before. Also, this Donovan is unlike any foe you have fought before. He is cunning and knowledgeable, which is a lethal combination. You will have the support of the Viera, but they can only help you so far in your endeavor._

_I know…it will be difficult, and we cannot lose. I only want to protect everyone, even if that means –_

_It will not come to that, I'm sure. The Temple of Origins is a place that reveals all truths, and the Initiation ritual itself will bare everything you have hidden deep within yourself, knowingly and unknowingly._

Geni was silent as she absorbed this information. _I don't understand. What do you mean by 'bare everything'?_

_You will soon find out. Now, we are about to separate from the rest of the fleet. Please make sure the Freedom follows the rest of the glory._

_…Alright._ Geni blinked once, coming out from her telepathic link momentarily.

"You alright? You were gone the last five minutes," Balthier asked her from her left. Geni could not see him, since her eyes were seeing what her unicorn friend was currently seeing – the looming buildings of the landing platforms on the edges of the center of the city, darkened by the cloudy night sky.

"Tell the _Freedom_ to follow the glory, and only land where they land. They will cover them until all of the ships have landed and everyone has disembarked. However, it looks like there are Guards already posted everywhere I look – it seems like they're waiting for us."

"If they are, hopefully we can sneak in while the rest of the fleet makes a racket," Balthier told her. "I'll relay that to the _Freedom_."

Geni nodded. _Hello?_ she called.

_Yes, little princess?_ her unicorn friend called.

_I just wanted to thank you again, _she told him gratefully._ Without you, none of this would have been possible._

_As I said, we are only repaying the favor to Lirona from many years ago._

_I know…you've said that once already…_ she trailed off.

_You wish to know._

_...Yes and no. Lirona kept her secrets for her own reasons. She told me what I needed to know for the betterment of myself, the Realm, and to stop Donovan. Anything irrelevant she kept to herself and took with her to a place where I can't reach her._

_Know this, little one. You are not the first human girl I have rescued._ He neighed with amusement in her mind.

_Lirona?_ she guessed.

_Precisely. However, that was during a much different, much more turbulent time._ He paused, his eyes suddenly sweeping to his right – Geni felt a slight nausea in her stomach from being unable to control what she saw. _We are here. Tell your friend to follow me closely, and to keep quiet._

_Right._ "Balthier, time to land – keep the engines idling but nothing louder than that. Coast in, if you can."

"– wait, just did. Over and out _Freedom_ – good luck Vaan."

"You too. Be careful Geni!" he called, before the line cut out.

"Alright – coasting in," Balthier immediately said. "Am I supposed to follow your friend out there?"

"Yes. We're landing on a plain just outside of the outer wall that surrounds the city, just behind the Palace complex. There's one gate leading out from that area that leads to the Temple of Origins, which is what we'll be following – and the most likely place that Donovan has placed his first ambush for us."

"It would make the most sense," he agreed, shutting off the engines one by one until only the smallest remained.

The night sky was cloudy, but spotted with areas in which one could see the brilliant stars blanketing the cosmos beyond them. Unseen, and pale white unicorn lead the _Strahl_ towards the outside of the capital, flying passed darkened buildings over the large complex that housed the Palace, as well as the homes of the Defense Assembly and the Imperial Council. However, just as swiftly, an enormous stone wall divided the brown stone of the city to an immediate lush green meadow that in the distance was bordered by tall leafy trees. A simple stone path simply appeared within the middle of the green, flanked by tall trees with leaves of brilliant crimson on either side of it – a large barrier that seemed slightly out of place in the flat area.

The unicorn landed near the stone wall, running a ways before he stopped. The _Strahl_ hovered into place and gently lowered the feet of the ship to land on the grass and give as little attention to it as possible. The wings closed, and the ship powered down. There was silence for several minutes, allowing the unicorn to trot up to a hatch on the side of the ship before a sudden _whooshing_ noise erupted and the hatch began to open.

Silently fourteen beings exited the ship: six humans, five Viera, and three anthropomorphic animals. All were covered in black cloaks, hoods covering their heads, and allowing them to blend seamlessly into the darkened night. The only difference visible was that of the height between the three groups.

One of the shorter beings walked up towards the unicorn, who bent his head and allowed a pale hand to be placed upon it.

_Go with courage, little princess, and reclaim what you have lost._

_I will – and thank you for everything_, Geni told him. _I shall never forget your kindness, or that of your glory's._

_We will wait for good news. Good luck,_ he added as an afterthought, before he backed away from her. Turning, he jumped into the sky and disappeared into the night as if he had never been there at all.

Geni turned around, walking back into the midst of her family and friends. "Are you ready?" Fran asked her quietly. "It may not be noticeable to your ears as of yet, but the fighting has already begun on the southern side of the city."

She turned her head, facing the tall wall. The battles cries and clashing of steel and magic she could not hear, but Geni could feel the faint sensation of righteous anger emanating from with the capital. "Let's get started then."

"We'll join you once we've confirmed that Donovan isn't in the city," Balthier told her. "Vaan and the others will be freeing everyone who was unjustly imprisoned thanks to Donovan and his brainwashed lackeys."

"We will be accompanying you until then, lady," two of the Viera warriors said, stepping forward and bowing slightly.

"Thank you," Geni told them. She turned to her family and friends. "Be careful, alright? Don't do anything rash."

"When have we ever?" Sora replied in her voice, grinning underneath his hood. He stepped forward and the twins embraced. "Be careful yourself too."

"We will." She let go of Sora and turned her face towards the flat expanse before her, her smile disappearing.

"Now…we have work to do."


	40. True Existences

Chapter 39

"This way," Fran motioned to the group as they hid behind the outer wall. "The path is clear…for the moment."

"Right – Sora, you and I go in front. Put your hood down," Riku told him in a whisper. "They need to see us here."

"Gotcha." They both lowered their hoods, showing to the world that Geni and Keldar were making their way towards the building that housed the meeting chambers for the Imperial Council. "Lead the way Fran."

She nodded, her red eyes flashing in the darkness. Moving forward she held her bow with an arrow notched between her fingers as she led the group, going only on her memory from years ago as she led them between the outer buildings and towards the center of the palatial complex.

It was quiet…almost too quiet, with nary a Guard to be seen. However, it could have been due to the growing sound of battle coming from the southern portion of the city…or the fact that they were walking into a trap. While Fran led the way with her arrows, Riku and Sora followed just behind her. Kairi, Donald, and Goofy took up the middle of the group, while the other two Viera, Balthier, and King Mickey brought up the rear. It was a motley group of warriors, but their prowess was not to be underestimated.

"Wait," Fran suddenly hissed, crouching near to the ground. The others followed her example immediately, listening. Several pairs of footsteps were suddenly heard, coming from the direction in which they were heading. Pressed against the wall and hiding themselves as well as possible in the darkness, they prepared their weapons and readied for combat.

Four people walked passed them in regular clothes, most likely servants and workers rather than soldiers. "I can't believe they're meeting now!" a woman in front complained. "Seriously, can't they see those rebels are knocking on our doors?!"

"I know it is important to establish a leader, now with His Highness gone, but we haven't even finished the first month yet," a softer spoken woman said next to her.

"No, what we should have done was gone after that traitor turned murderer," a man a few steps behind them said with raised fists in an angry voice. "If the Defense Assembly and Imperial Council had taken that brat out first, those rebels would never have even dared to step beyond the mountains."

"Shh!" the fourth and final person said, a much younger man, looking around in fear. "You know what happens to people who get caught talking about that! The detention cells are full enough as it is."

"Yeah, well…whatever," the first man said, but he shut his mouth as they continued on their way.

The group was silent as they digested this new information. "So the capital _is_ divided," Fran said first quietly as she stood. "This works in our favor."

"Yes, but everyone who is a nay-sayer got put in prison," Balthier pointed out. "The tide won't turn in Vaan's favor until they can get to the detaining cells and free everyone."

"Well, that's his job. Ours is to determine whether or not Donovan is here," Sora stated, "before heading back to join up with the others."

"Let's hurry then," Riku agreed. "Which way now Fran?"

Heading in the opposite direction the real Geni, Keldar, and two warrior Viera raced along the path that led through the middle of the empty field. Geni, having spent time with a Viera, knew their physical prowess and knew how to keep up with their longer legs and faster pace. Keldar, on the other hand, had great stamina but was still finding it difficult to keep up with the three women. One of the Viera turned her head to look at the man who was next to her, and laughed quietly.

"Shut it," he huffed at her, readjusting his shield and sword underneath the cloak. "I've got the heaviest things to carry."

"Would you like us to carry something for you?" the one who had been laughing asked, a sly smile betraying her stony expression.

"No. I am perfectly capable, thank you very much," he told her, and shut his mouth.

Geni shook her head, the other Viera next to her mimicking her actions. "Like children, they are," she stated.

"Completely," she agreed. "How much further, do you think?"

"The Temple of Origins lies in the center of an open field, with only one path leading to it from the capital. These trees that line the path are the only things that inhabit it, besides the grass and flowers. In total, the field encompasses many miles of open space around all sides…like a barrier, I suppose."

"From what?" Geni wondered out loud.

The Viera shook her head. "I do not know. Probably those who would wish evil upon the power sleeping there."

"Like Donovan."

"Exactly," she nodded.

They ran in silence for several more minutes before Geni began to notice a slight oddity about their situation. "Odd," she murmured out loud, looking around her at the passing trees.

"What?" her companion Viera asked her.

"It's so silent," she told her.

"It's nighttime, what do you expect?" Keldar called quietly from the back in a slightly wheezing voice.

"No. I mean there is nothing. No nocturnal creatures, no wind, no movement. It is as if…" she paused, before skidding to a halt. The other three stopped along with her, Keldar immensely glad for the minute rest. "This isn't right."

The two Viera closed their eyes, and a soft green glow enveloped them. They spoke quietly with the trees around them, trying to find out the cause for the stillness.

"What is wrong about there being no sound?" Keldar asked her in a quiet voice as he came and stood next to her, the two of them watching the Viera.

"It means that something is frightening the animals; what I'm unsure of, however, is what is preventing any wind from blowing. Like we've entered the eye of a storm, or something like that."

"An eye?"

"A calm area, an in between. I just…makes me feel uneasy. It feels like –"

"A trap," he finished for her, finally understanding. He carefully drew his shield out from under his cloak, as well as his sword. Geni, in mutual understanding, unsheathed Songuraita from the holder at her waist and flicked it out to its full length. They waited several more agonizingly slow minutes before the Viera finished and opened their eyes once more. While gazing around the two of them grabbed their long bows off of their backs and several arrows out of their quivers.

The Viera who had been running alongside Keldar spoke first. "We are surrounded…all up and down this path at least fifty feet away on each side. What is strange is that they are staying perfectly still. I know they can see us, but they are not trying to stop us. Yet." She looked out into the darkness, able to see what the humans could not.

"Why?" Geni whispered, feeling the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. This was…wrong…so wrong. But why?

"I didn't think…there would be…so many!" Sora huffed out as he knocked another Guard unconscious.

"It still may be a diversion!" Riku called to him as he blasted several Guards back with a Dark Aura. "We have to get inside!"

The larger group had easily made their way towards the buildings that housed the Imperial Council and the Defense Assembly. There had been no Guards, no resistance, until they had reached the outer perimeter of these buildings. However, upon reaching it, they found themselves up against a wall of Guards in armor, ready and itching for a fight. They took their time, trying to see if any areas were left open as they snuck around the area, but alas the defense was too strong. Figuring that the only way to get in now was to force their way in, Fran and the other two Viera used their strongest earth spell to try and divide the Guards from around the door and surprise them into chaos. It worked…for a few minutes. They ran forward between the walls of stone that had suddenly jutted out from the ground, hearing the shouts and screams of surprised Guards as they were tossed clear of the door.

In spite of this, the main doors to the Imperial Council's chambers were unexpectedly thrown open and hundreds of Guards rushed them to defend their comrades. It was now this battle that the group was fighting, inching ever closer to their goal. They could only wonder as to how the others were faring.

"Goofy!" Sora suddenly shouted to him, running to assist his friend. A Guard had come up from behind him and was about to hit him on the noggin when the Keybearer successfully blocked it and sent him flying.

"Thanks So-I mean, Geni, a-hyuk!" the goofy dog told him with a grin.

"Valor?" Sora suggested.

"Why not?" Goofy replied. Suddenly the two of them glowed a brilliant red, and when Sora emerged his clothes had remained unchanged but he was wielding not one, but two, Keyblades. "Let's go!" he shouted.

Several of the Guards halted in their steps as they beheld the double-wielding Keyblader. They had never seen such a feat, even during the long and complicated history of the Realm of the Keepers. In fact, witnessing this historic event coming from a person of a lineage not from the Realm was almost frightening. For you see, those who lived in the Realm – a dimension outside of the universe we know – were descended from those who survived the Keyblade War. The Keyblade had been sealed off from the rest of the universe, only allowing those from the Realm to travel forth to fight the darkness. Even so, the Keyblade found its way back into the hands of those from our universe, beginning with King Mickey – then onto Sora, Riku, Kairi, and of course Genevieve. Although the how and why is unknown, there is no doubt that they are as true Keyblade masters as their brethren in the Realm.

Even so…the Guards shook off their wonder and headed straight for Sora. With a shout they all leapt into battle once more. What Sora had forgotten momentarily, however, is that he was to be impersonating his sister…who did not have the power to combine with Donald and Goofy in order to use the special properties of the clothes the Good Fairies had given to him. High above the fray, one solitary man looked down upon the fray. He turned in the dark room and walked towards the only source of light – several screens that were monitoring the fighting down in the south central portion of the city where the fleet had landed and were currently battling the battalions of Guards there, the group outside, as well as a small group of four running through a forested path towards the Temple of Origins. A swatch of crimson across his chest flashed in the light.

However, he ignored all of these to press his hand against a fourth screen, which was dark. After touching it, it glowed to life and a familiar voice was heard. "What have you to report?" an older, male voice spoke coldly.

"The true ones are heading towards you, as predicted. Her brother and another disguised themselves and took their places here, which I commend them for – a simple plan yet cunning. Until now we could not tell which were real."

"And how do you know this?"

"Her brother has combined with the dog to use his Valor form. His sister does not have that kind of power, and in that he is…unique."

"How so?"

"…He wields two Keyblades," the mad admitted, slight wonderment entering his voice.

"Two?! You are sure of this?"

"Yes," the man nodded.

The darkened figure on the screen was quiet for a moment as he thought. "That does not change our plans. Allow them into the council area, but keep the ruse of fighting them still. The fools won't live long enough to save anyone in any case."

"As you wish, sir," the man said with a slight bow.

"Sir?" the man on the screen repeated, condescendingly.

"I meant to say…as you wish, your highness," he corrected himself.

"Good." The screen went dark.

The man stared at the empty space for a short while, before he resigned himself and turned around to face another screen. As he pressed his hand upon it, he spoke, and every Guard in a one mile radius around the building heard him through their helmets: "Guards, fall back. First line, protect the outer perimeter of the building from the rebels while the second and third lines fall back inside." Immediately as he finished, he heard shouts from outside as his orders were being carried out.

He turned to go back to the window, watching as the supposed rebels looked around in confusion at first, then in triumph, as they saw their adversaries beginning to retreat. Two in particular he watched: the spiky haired princess and the ebony haired prince who led the attack – the imitations of those who were running in the opposite direction of the city. They stood side by side as they brought down their foes one by one. "I am sorry," the man whispered to the two of them. "I never meant for anything like this to happen. All I wanted…all I wanted was for you to be yourself, to be happy. I never cared if you followed in my footsteps or not. Please forgive me Keldar…my son."

Keldar shivered as they walked along the path, turning around towards the capital. "What's wrong?" Geni asked him. She was walking next to him, a Viera in the front and back of them.

"I…don't know. It's probably nothing," he told her.

"Alright," she conceded.

"Shh. The temple is near," the Viera ahead of them whispered.

"How far?" Geni asked her.

"Less than a mile. You can see the outline of it over the trees."

It was true. Just ahead of them loomed an enormous structure that rose out of the ground like a creature from eons past. It was several stories tall, with enormous pillars surrounding it on all sides. It was of course made out of the same light brown stone as the rest of the city, but it had a well worn look to it that all of the once square corners were well rounded. Although much of it could not be seen in the darkness, what could be seen was a massive opening in the front of the temple, the side closest to them. One could only assume it was the door into the temple.

As the two humans and two Viera approached, the Guards on either side of the path still came no closer. "What are they waiting for?" one of the Viera thought.

"They are…_alive_, aren't they?" Geni asked her.

"Yes. None of them are empty shells of darkness, like before," she confirmed.

"We should still be careful," Keldar warned. "We're almost there."

"I know," Geni answered in a quiet voice. _But what's going to happen once we _do_ get there?_

"After the bastards!" Balthier shouted as most of the remaining Guards began fleeing inside of the large building. Many were still outside, wounded and unconscious – no dead among the lot. The fighting had been horrible…most of the group having never fought actual humans before. There was blood – and a great deal of it on both sides. Cut, scrapes, and gashes decorated armor and clothing as well as skin. Sora had a large cut on his upper arm, but it had not bleed profusely. One of the Viera, on the other hand, had been severely wounded when several of the Guards had all cast Blizzaga spells on her all at once – she was encased in ice for several minutes without air while they hacked at her. Her fellow Viera broke the spell and freed her, while the rest of the group took out the Guards, but she was in poor condition from lacking oxygen.

"But what about –?" Sora began to protest, looking backwards.

"I will take responsibility," the other Viera said, helping her injured companion sit up. "We will be following behind you shortly."

"Alright then," Sora conceded, before turning around and following the others, who were all following Balthier and Fran as they began to enter the enormous building. "Where are we?" he called up ahead.

"The main entrance to the Imperial Council's chambers. It's probably where they've blockaded themselves, the cowards," Balthier called back to him. "Fran, which way?"

"Left," she told them, as they came upon a split in the corridor, leading off in three different directions. The large group turned to their left, running down a similar corridor of plain stone, with no adornments whatsoever. They continued to run, seeing only several doors and several other hallways branch off as Fran led them deeper and deeper into the unknown. However, as big as any building can be, there can only be so much room on the inside before one must come to the outside again. In this instance a plain set of wooden double doors became their exit, and preceded their entrance.

Fran and Balthier threw the doors open, and the small group ran inside, only to be halted by the darkness before them. A single beam of light illuminated the floor directly before them, as if inviting them to step into its eerie light. "Where are we?" Kairi asked softly.

"The innermost chambers of the Imperial Council, their meeting hall," Fran stated. "Both of you step into the light," she said in a quiet voice to Sora and Riku. The two imposters stepped forward quickly, keeping their weapons at the ready. As they crossed the threshold of the light, a voice boomed out from all around them.

"You have come at last," a bemused male voice spoke to them.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Sora shouted in a demanding voice.

"Now now…is that any way to treat someone?" the voice replied, chuckling. "You both wound me. As for showing myself, there is no need to. We know who you are."

Riku clenched his teeth. _Have they seen through our plan already? Better check._ "Of course you do. I am Crown Prince Keldar, and with Crown Princess Genevieve we will right the wrongs that have been done since Her Majesty Dowager Queen Hisako's death!"

"Please, save the speeches. We have no time for such pleasantries. Or rather…_they_ do not."

"What they? Stop speaking in riddles!" Sora shouted out angrily.

"You are a bit slower, yet more resilient in some ways than others. Tell me this, both of you: why are you here?"

"To stop Donovan, of course!" Sora stated. "We can't allow him to corrupt the Realm anymore than he has!"

"And to stop him from spreading more darkness across the universe," Riku added.

"Yes, yes…grand statements and plans – but not the answers we were looking for."

"We?" Sora and Riku both said at the same time, confused.

Suddenly the overhead lights in the room turned on, brilliantly lighting the enormous amphitheatre in which they were standing. Rows upon rows of seats lined the walls behind long tables that spanned the length of the room, ascending on an angle almost to the ceiling. However, in at least one third of the seats sat or lay still figures, still drenched in their own blood. Some had made it to the aisles, while others were lying around the floor on which they were standing. Even so, a large group of fifty or so people was standing in front of them, covered in battle wounds and the blood of the dead.

One man came forward, wearing a crimson sash across his chest. He was tall with olive toned skin, and spiky black hair that was pulled back neatly into a ponytail almost a foot long. He whipped his sword away from him, casting off droplets of blood against the floor as he cleaned it. "We have purged the Imperial Council with our own hands of those who began the coup against her majesty. We have finished what you originally came here to do. So I ask you again: why are you _here_?"

Sora's gaze was fixed at the dead and lifeless bodies lying all around them, unable to speak or comprehend what his mind was telling him. He felt afraid…afraid of what this group of people had just done in the name of justice. He had never killed anyone luckily enough…destroyed Heartless and Nobodies, yes, but not flesh and blood beings!

Riku was in almost the same mindset as his friend, listening to the murmurs of the group behind them as well. He heard Kairi's gasp, and Balthier comforting her as he knew he was trying to hide the sight from her eyes. He listened as Fran spoke some unintelligible words, probably a prayer of speed to whatever lay beyond for the dead. Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey were silent.

He looked up, seeing the man and the other group of people still staring at them. He took a deep breath. "You are all members of the Imperial Council, correct?" Many nodded. "Why didn't you do something earlier, before all of this got so out of hand?"

"We could not, until there was someone to take her majesty's place," the man from before said, walking towards him. "They are the next to rule, as it should be."

"You mean us," he corrected him, still following his original ruse.

"No, _they_. You are not them. Take off your disguises and show us who you truly are." The man looked at Riku, sad eyes reflecting his disguised form.

It was then Riku knew who this man was. "You are…Keldar's father," he said, tossing off his cloak and revealing his true form. Sora did the same, although he did not change all that much.

He nodded. "I am. And I am sorry for everything that I have put you all through. Please…please, I beg of you now: go and save my son. Go and save him as I could not." He looked down. "Our hands are now too soiled to properly help anyone – we went along with Donovan, and sent him to the Temple of Origins to perform the Initiation rites so we could clean up this mess. We knew you had split into two groups, and in which group were the real Keldar and Genevieve. At this moment I can only assume that they are facing the fight of their lives."

"He isn't here," Sora restated. "We have to hurry back to where we landed!" he continued in a slightly panicked voice.

"Go. The Guards will be here soon enough to arrest all of us for treason. It would be best if you left before they did," another member finally spoke up. "We will hold them off for you."

"Are you sure?" Fran asked them, stepping forward.

"If Donovan is defeated, then everything will become clear. That is the only objective now to complete. Please…save us?" an older woman towards the left spoke as well.

Sora nodded. "We will." He paused as he turned around, before looking back to speak to them. "I think that if Geni _were_ here, I think that she would have agreed with the purpose of your actions…although maybe not the result of them."

Several people looked down, ashamed…however Keldar's father looked straight into his face. "What is done is done. Now go – save my son and your sister."

The structure was even larger up close – none of the Guards had stopped them…not even once. It made Geni uneasy to think they may be walking into an outright trap set by Donovan and his lackeys. They had no choice in the matter, however, except to continue pushing on and hoping that they were not too late.

"The entrance is not guarded," the foremost Viera said in a hushed voice as they approached in the darkness. "The doors, however, are closed. That indicates that either Donovan is already inside waiting…or he has yet to enter."

"I'm hoping for the latter," Geni replied to her, gripping Songuraita tightly between her sweaty palms. "Either way, let's go in." The group of four walked up several stairs until they were situated across an enormous stone door whose outlines could be seen, but invisible as to how it was supposed to open. "How do we get in?" Geni wondered out loud.

The other Viera spoke then. "If my memories serve me, the two of you are the only ones allowed to enter – that is the way it was for His Majesty and Her Majesty. If we step back…?" she said, doing so as she spoke the words. The other Viera followed suite, stepping back onto the cool earth and off of the stone stairs.

Geni and Keldar stepped forward. "Nothing," he murmured. "What else should we –" he began to say as he put his hand on the door. Suddenly the stone began to glow softly around the seams of the door. "Put your hand on too," he instructed Geni.

"Let's try pushing," she suggested, as the two of the placed both of their hands on the seemingly immovable door. To their astonishment, it glowed twice as brightly as before and pushed open as easily as if it were made of air. The darkened interior was briefly illuminated by the opening of the door, but once they removed their hands it was dark and still yet again.

"We will wait here for you," the Viera stated. "If something should happen, we will force our way in."

"Thank you," Geni said, turning and smiling sincerely at them. "And thank you for guiding us this far."

"May the Green Word protect you," they murmured to the both of them, placing their hands over their hearts.

"And you," Geni replied, bowing to them in Realm fashion. Standing back up, she elbowed Keldar in the side.

He fumbled a bit before replying as well. "Be safe," he said, bowing to them. Quickly turning to hide his embarrassed flush, he said, "Let's go." He raised his shield and placed his sword at the ready.

"Anytime," Geni replied, whipping Songuraita towards the ground with a rush of air. As one, the two of them entered the Temple of Origins.

Their steps echoed off of the stone floor, casting echoes about the enormous space. When the little light they received from the door suddenly vanished, the turned to see the door closing quickly behind them and effectively locking them in. Geni whispered several words in the ancient language, and a ball of light suddenly burst into brilliance above her hand. It illuminated a good fifty feet all around them in all directions, showing them to be standing above an ornately tiled floor with several enormous pillars lining the walls in the hallway they were in.

"An entrance foyer of some kind?" she questioned out loud, turning around to see.

"I suppose so. Let's check it out," Keldar said, quickly walking forward towards the darkness. Geni dashed up behind him, illuminating their path as they walked. They strode in silence for several seconds before Keldar spoke in a grave voice. "He's here, isn't he?"

"I think so," Geni said softly back to him, her eyes darting around. "Every instinct and sense I have is telling me to run back right now. It says danger."

"I know." Keldar worried his lip. "No matter what, though, he has to be stopped – no matter what happens, or at what cost."

Geni looked down. "The cost…" she repeated. Looking up once more, she studied Keldar's serious face as he walked into battle. "Don't do anything stupid, alright?"

He stumbled in his footsteps, turning to verbally retaliate, when the walls disappeared and some kind of stringed instrument began to play.

"Welcome at last, Crown Prince Keldar and Crown Princess Genevieve. We've been waiting for you," Donovan's voice rang out in the darkness, accompanied by his own laugh and another man's.

"Where are you?!" Keldar shouted angrily. "Fight me!"

"Oh, you're opponent is here," he replied with a dry chuckle. "It just won't be me."

"Stop speaking in riddles! Show yourself this instant!"

"As you wish." As if a sun were being born, the enormous hall was suddenly lit from above by several vast blue crystal structures that looked as if they had grown directly out of the ceiling. The same pillars as before lined the vast room, rising up several stories, and directly across from them was a small balcony where Donovan stood. A younger man stood next to him, playing a strange looking stringed instrument that held eight strings and was placed upon his hip as he drew a long bow across the octagonal body. "Better now boy?"

Keldar raised his sword and pointed it at the two of them. "We will stop you."

"We? Are you so sure about that?" he told him, laughing his sarcastic laugh as he turned his gaze next to Keldar.

Keldar narrowed his eyes, pausing to turn his sight to his right. "Are you rea-what? Genevieve? Genevieve, what's wrong?" he said, unsteadiness entering his voice as he took a step towards her.

Geni stood transfixed to the spot, shaking as if something was holding her against her will. She strained her fearful eyes to look in his direction, because her mouth could no longer move. Her body was stuck in her last step, her hand held out with no light sitting upon it any longer, and Songuraita in her right.

"Donovan, you bastard! What did you do to her?!" Keldar shouted, furious, as he turned towards him once more.

"_I_ didn't do anything…you know, it's simply _amazing_ what kind of information one can get their hands on for the right price. Now…kill him."

The musician next to Donovan nodded. Changing the key and the movement of the melody and harmony so that they were contrary, the battle began.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Sora chanted as he led the group out of the hall at a frenzied pace.

"Sora, wait up!" Riku called to him, running just a bit faster to keep up with him. _How could someone with such short legs run so fast?_

"Sora, please!" Kairi shouted out to him from further in the pack. "We all want to help Geni as much as you do, but you can't do it alone!"

"Just watch me," he said through gritted teeth, rounding the last corner and seeing the opening to where they landed come into view. Allowing his Keyblade to disappear, he pumped his arms and legs faster, spurring his entire body into a maddening frenzy. Once Keldar's father had told them that Donovan had known their plans all along, a reddish tint had begun to take over Sora's vision as his anger and rage clouded all other thoughts. _How could he?!?_ he thought to himself. _Why? Why do people desire power? Especially power over the darkness?_

"That boy…once he's got something on his mind, there's no stopping him," Balthier commented to his partner.

"With that trait, in and of itself, are they truly alike. One just is more apparent than the other," Fran replied as they ran towards the _Strahl_.

"Either way…this going by foot will be too slow. Can we take the _Strahl_?"

Fran shook her head. "The center of the field is like the yagd's to the north – there is too much interference. We must go on foot. Or…"

"We fly," he said, grimacing. "I would rather have a large and lovely metal ship around me, thank you very much."

"You are afraid of the open air," she teased, "still."

"I am not afraid!" he balked. "I just…don't like being that far off of the ground without something solid with me."

"Fine, fine," she laughed. "But it is still the fastest way."

"The two of us can't carry _all_ of them though – that's impossible," he pointed out.

"It is. However, we can take the ship almost halfway…and then land and go the rest of the way on foot. It will be faster to a certain point."

"Fine with me! Get onboard everyone!" he shouted as they finally all neared the _Strahl_, seeing Sora waiting impatiently for them. "We've got a rescue operation to get underway!" He pulled the lever next to the underside hatch and it hissed quietly before slowly opening in a downward direction. Although Sora had been the first to the ship, he allowed the others to get on before him, ushering them on quickly. Balthier smirked at this gesture, shaking his head as he got onto his ship before the young Keybearer. Once the entire group was inside, Balthier closed the door and proceeded to follow Fran up to the cockpit.

"Sit down," he said to no one in particular once he got there, but nodded as he heard a thump into the captain's chair behind him. "You get that anger under control boy, otherwise you'll only be a burden to your sister rather than any help."

"Fine," a sullen voice answered. "I'm just…angry at Donovan, that's all. I can't understand the desire for power, and the power of darkness, that so many have. Maleficent, the Heartless Ansem, Xehanort, Xemnas…and Donovan. What attracts them to it?"

"Perhaps you do not understand them because you have never had a reason to truly hate the light," Fran told him, igniting the primary boosters. "You have never had any truly bad experiences in your life that altered your perception of the universe, have you? Losing a loved one, becoming disfigured, failing at something you had always dreamed of doing, being unable to save someone…any of these things can turn a person towards the darkness." She paused for a moment in pressing the last button. "Who knows…Lirona leaving him may have been his last tie to reason. Without her…"

"I suppose," Sora answered quietly. "Why did she leave him anyway?"

"Only Lirona knew that, and maybe her majesty," Balthier interrupted. "Hang on kid." Suddenly they were thrown back into their seats as the hasty take-off went underway. As they rose into the sky, Balthier began skimming over the tree lined path leading towards the Temple of Origins. "We'll be landing in a minute, so hang tight."

In the back of the _Strahl_ were they normally took their seats, Riku was biting his lip in worry. _We knew it was a possibility_, he reasoned with himself,_ that he wouldn't be there. It was a possibility that he was lying in wait at the temple for them – that's why we split up. Why do I feel so guilty then?_ he asked himself.

"Riku?"

He turned and looked to his left, seeing Kairi staring at him with an anxious expression. "What's up Kairi?"

"They will be alright, won't they? Geni and Keldar, I mean." She looked away to the small window, seeing nothing but black outside of the ship. "I know they can take care of themselves, but…"

"They'll be fine, you'll see," he promised her with a smile. "Geni knows how to take care of herself, and Keldar for that matter. Knowing them they'll have beaten Donovan by the time we get there," he told her reassuringly.

Kairi smiled. "Good. Then we can go home."

Home. Such a foreign word, yet it had only been two weeks since they had last been there – and when they go home less than three days. "Yeah, home," Riku echoed.

"Minnie and Daisy have probably been worrying about us," King Mickey stated, smiling a little to himself.

"I'll never hear the end of it," Donald warbled, irritated.

"Max will want to know what's been going on, a-hyuk," Goofy said with a grin. "He'll love hearing about our adventure this time."

"Sorry to interrupt folks, but we're landing – the interference in the waves around here is too much for the _Strahl_ to take. You'll be feeling the shaking in a moment." As Balthier spoke over the speakers, the ship began to tremble. "We'll be putting her down in a few seconds, so get ready to go."

The five of them stood up. "This is it," King Mickey said. "Our final battle. And theirs."

"Let's finish this then," Riku said, nodding. "For Geni."

"For Geni," the others echoed. As one they turned and quietly exited the small room and made their way towards the outer hatch door. As promised, in mere moments they felt the ship gently touch down with a small bump, and then all was silent once more. Waiting patiently until the pilots had finished, in mere moments Balthier, Fran, and Sora joined them once again.

"Listen," Fran began, as Balthier began to open the hatch. "There is much magic and power surrounding this place. At times, it may feel overwhelming, suffocating. If you cannot go on, you must come back to the _Strahl_. Clear?"

"Transparently," Sora told her with a gleam in his eye.

"Don't be too cocky Sora," Riku warned him. "This fight may well be unlike anything we've faced before."

"I know…" he said, turning to stare out into the veiled darkness as the hatch was finally released. "I just…have this feeling, you know?"

Fran turned on him in a moment. "What feeling?" she almost snapped at him.

Sora started. "L-Like I've had before…when something bad was happening, or was going to happen, to Geni or me."

The Viera frowned, something one hardly ever saw. "Then we must hurry." She literally jumped out of the _Strahl_, Balthier immediately behind her.

Sora, Riku, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and finally Goofy all landed somewhat gracefully behind them, before Fran dashed for a line of trees in front of them. Sora noticed how still and silent everything was – there was not even a small breeze to rustle any of the leaves overhead as they passed under the border of the pathway. The bad feeling he had been having – especially since leaving the scene of death created by the survivors of the Imperial Council – came back, making him slightly nauseous. Fran's sudden sense of urgency did not help the situation either.

"There it is!" Kairi called out, pointing ahead as they dashed down the stone path. The group looked up to see an enormous building looming in the near distance. It was almost three-quarters the size of the palace, but more ominous since there was no light coming from it whatsoever. "It's huge…" she added in awe.

"It houses a tremendous source of power," King Mickey agreed, "so I suppose the architecture would reflect that."

A sudden noise, out of place in the silence, stirred Riku from his admiration of the building as well. "Sora, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

The two of them slowed down to a walking pace, listening. "There it is again!" Riku exclaimed. "It's coming from the Temple!"

"What is?" Donald asked them.

"I can hear someone shouting, I think, and some kind of low booming noise," Riku explained.

"Are they still trying to get in?" Sora wondered out loud.

"I highly doubt that," Balthier called back to them dryly. "Move it!"

The group of eight raced towards their destination, some huffing and puffing due to shorter legs than others. In a few minutes they finally reached the base of the enormous building and saw the two Viera who had accompanied Geni and Keldar trying to enter.

"Sisters!" Fran called out in greeting.

The two of them stopped mid-cast of their spells to turn around. "The door is shut tight – we cannot get in!" one of them said, urgency in her voice.

"What has happened? Where are Genevieve and Keldar?" Fran asked them.

"They went in a while ago, and have not emerged. A short while after they did, large sounds began to emerge from within – large explosions and other fighting noises. It was at that point we tried to force our way in. However, only royalty may enter…" she trailed off.

"Which means that none of us can enter either – at least, not in opening the doors," Balthier said angrily. "Who made up these rules?!"

"But we can get in!" Goofy exclaimed. "King Mickey's here!"

"A royal, of course! It doesn't have to be just the royals of the Realm, does it?" King Mickey asked the dwellers of the Realm.

They were silent as they contemplated this. "No, I suppose not," Fran began. "Let us try it." King Mickey stepped forward, guided by the Viera. "Place your hand upon the door – it will glow if you are able to enter."

King Mickey walked up, and carefully placed his right hand upon the door. Nothing happened.

"Try both hands – both the Prince and Princess each placed a hand on the door," the one Viera suggested.

King Mickey did so – and as he placed his hands on the door, it began to glow. "Now push!" the Viera said, coming forward to assist the small king. Try as they may, the door barely budged.

"We'll help!" Sora shouted, running forward and throwing his weight against the enormous set of doors. It opened several inches more. "Come on guys!"

The rest of the group ran forward and joined the others, using all of their strength against the doors, until finally they opened up far enough that they would be able to squeeze inside. "Hurry, hurry!" Sora ushered, motioning for everyone to get inside. As they ran, the door began to close.

"Hurry Sora!" Kairi cried.

Donald and Goofy ran in, and Sora let go of the door and ran in after them. The doors closed with a _boom_, creating a large gush of wind that knocked the Keyblade bearer over and cast the entire group into the darkness. As he rolled, Sora was stopped by someone's hands, which then proceeded to help him to his feet. "You alright Sora?" Riku asked him.

"Sure – glad I can't see anything spinning at the moment." He blinked a few times. "So where are we?" Several flares blazed to life in the hands of the three Viera. "Some kind of hallway, it seems." Sora looked around momentarily before the ground suddenly shook from beneath their feet. "It also seems like we had better get going."

"There – a light down at the end of the hall!" King Mickey pointed. The group turned from the doors to see a small pinprick of light coming from the end of the long hallway. "That must be where Geni is!"

"Then let's go!" Sora shouted, throwing his hand out to summon his Keyblade. After a flash of light, he began running towards the light in the distance.

"Alright, a-hyuk!" Goofy added as he, Donald, and King Mickey joined him.

Riku rolled his eyes momentarily before setting off to follow them – Kairi, Balthier, Fran, and the other two Viera behind them. Their steps echoed off the stone walls as they raced towards the continuous explosions and rumbling in the short distance. It was obviously apparent that Geni and Keldar were fighting; who, or what, they had yet to figure out.

The small point of light grew brighter and brighter as the group ran at a frantic pace, stone pillars passing them like blurs. Soon enough, they broke through the darkness and were blinded by an enormous, brilliant crystalline structure that shone like the sun high above their heads. Even so, that could not stop the surprised looks from dominating their faces when Keldar suddenly came flying through the air to skid to a halt at their feet. The Crown Prince did not move for a moment, instead breathing heavily and apparently in great pain.

Kairi was the first to reach him. "Keldar! What happened?" she asked him, carefully supporting him as she helped him to sit up. Wincing, he propped himself up next to her while holding his left side. His armor was dented in many places, charred and black in others. His shield was missing, and his cloak torn to shreds.

"We were ambushed," he grunted out. "Donovan was already here when we came in."

"Where's Geni then?" Sora asked him as he knelt down, worried. "Isn't she with you?"

"She's here alright," Balthier suddenly spoke in a level but angry voice.

"Impossible," Fran breathed, staring upwards. "That's…impossible."

"Improbable, Viera, but never impossible," Donovan laughed from the balcony two floors above them. "My new servant is more than capable, it would seem."

Fran, Balthier, and the rest sans Kairi and Sora had seen Keldar's attacker – a form flying backwards through the air from hitting its target. As they spoke, it landed into a crouch, before slowly standing and holding out its weapon – aimed directly for them.

Riku looked on helplessly as he viewed the monster that Sora thought he had defeated exactly a year and a half ago: a soulless version of his sister, controlled by the darkness, with no free will of her own. Geni looked exactly the same as she had when they parted, except for her blue eyes which had dulled to a flat navy. She never blinked, never turned her gaze away from her previous opponent and the new arrivals.

The musician next to Donovan had ceased playing…for the moment. He looked down upon the group with a smirk, content with his masterpiece. "Master Donovan, I must admit…her song is quite… _fascinating_, don't you agree?" He stroked his instrument fondly, looking down at her with an almost feral expression in his brown eyes.

"Yes…quite so," Donovan agreed, smiling an evil smile. "I think I would like to hear more of it, if you would be so kind as to indulge our guests."

"My pleasure," the young man said, picking up the strange looking stringed instrument. He played a quick succession of notes – the group below saw Geni stiffen before she swung her staff around her a few times before gripping it with both hands in an offensive stance. However, after that he began to play a lilting melodic song, with many underlying tones, but in an almost minor key – giving the entire piece an unusual and disturbing feeling.

Sora had a strange feeling as well – as if he had heard this piece of music somewhere before. However, he had no time to ponder this as in mere seconds Geni dashed forward towards the group with an intent to harm them.

She made no sound, yet the group scattered just as a sonic boom resulted from the connection between Songuraita in its staff form and the floor. Sora and Kairi helped Keldar jump away from the impact, landing to the left of the doors they had entered from with the two Viera who had been waiting outside. The rest of the group landed to the right of the doors, effectively splitting them in two.

"What do we do now?" Riku asked Fran, watching Geni with an unreadable expression.

"What do you mean, what do we do now?" King Mickey echoed sharply. "We have to snap her out of this trance, or whatever is happening to her."

"He is right…although it will not be easy," Fran said, slowly getting to her feet. Her ears twitched. "Yes, we must break whatever hold Donovan and that player has on her, but we need to be tremendously careful in doing so."

"How did he acquire her song?" Balthier wondered out loud. "I thought…"

"Her song? What do you mean her _song_?" Donald quacked, irritated.

"Do you remember when Genevieve spoke about the power of music? Words of power?" Fran explained quickly. "Every person has specific words of power that correspond to their very existence. If they are a writer, it could be a poem, a story, and so forth. For a musician –"

"It is the music that is the very essence of their soul. Very astute," Donovan called down. "But finding the right instrument, the right voice, the right notes – it is the most difficult in the universe to discover. However, one would be surprised at how the promise of money and power can loosen tongues and minds," he finished with a laugh.

"Who shall I have her destroy first? Her father? Her brother?" the young man asked as he played several static chords as he spoke.

"We must fulfill the prophecy – her brother and the girl first."

"Yes, your highness," the man said, before beginning the song once again. Geni turned her head, facing Sora, Kairi, and Keldar. She began to take several steps towards them, stepping out of the crater she had created in the stone floor.

"Geni, stop!" Sora shouted, unleashing his Keyblade and standing protectively in front of Keldar and Kairi. She ignored him, or rather didn't even hear him. "Stop, or I'll stop you myself!" he said, a wobble betraying his confidence.

"Kill him." Donovan's statement was followed by a downwards trill and key change into another harmonic minor key – Geni responded by pointing Songuraita at the trio and firing off a barrage of purplish-black masses of magic at them at a frightening pace.

"Look out!" Sora cried, throwing up Oathkeeper to block the attack. However, the missiles exploded against something unseen, causing an enormous amount of dust to cloud the air. As it settled, a black dome shimmered over the three of them; Riku had shielded them with his Dark Aura, absorbing Geni's attack. It did not stop her, however. She proceeded to step forward and began battering the shield with her staff, slowly causing it to crack under the pressure.

A bead of sweat rolled down Riku's face as he tried to keep the aura shield active. "We need to do something," he ground out to the others. "Fran? Balthier? Any ideas?"

"We need to knock her unconscious at least," Balthier said while pulling out his guns. "Then the song won't have any effect on her…I think."

"The other is to stop that musician from playing, and reverse the song on the instrument," Fran told him, also pulling out her longbow. "While we do that, we need someone to fight her head on."

"A distraction, you mean," King Mickey said, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes. "We can do that! Goofy, Donald – follow my lead!" King Mickey materialized his Keyblade into his hand and ran towards his foster daughter, Goofy and Donald directly behind him. As if they had practiced the tactic for years, Donald began by tossing out several bolts of lightning all around her, taking her by surprise.

Geni stopped her attack, turning to face the newcomers. Goofy ran forward with his shield in front of him, forcing her attention onto him. As they collided, King Mickey used Goofy as a trampoline and jumped over him, proceeding to knock Geni off her feet and away from the dome. Riku released the dome from over Sora, Kairi, and Keldar and resumed it over where Geni lay. Sora and Kairi immediately assisted Keldar to his feet and stumbled to where the others were.

As Geni rose to her feet, the musician controlling her played a different set of notes. She raised her hand, almost hidden within the dark confines of Riku's Dark Aura, and began unleashed a volley of concentrated missiles. Again and again she did this, even though she was barely getting through the Dark Aura and instead filling the dome with dust and debris.

On the other hand, Fran and Balthier had used the commotion King Mickey and the others had created to dash to the other side of the enormous hall and situate themselves underneath the balcony that Donovan was currently standing on. They had found the small entrance and stairs they had most likely used to get up two floors, and were currently making their way up to them. The two other Viera, on the other hand, were using their magic and arrows to also distract the musician and Donovan. They were doing a splendid job of it so far; however, the shield that surrounded them was powerful, and not so easily broken.

"Foolish…all of them, foolish," Donovan muttered to himself. "What do they hope to accomplish?" He watched as arrows and magic bounced harmlessly off the invisible shield in front of them, only appearing to show ripples in its surface.

"The prophecy shall come to fruition yet, your highness, do not fret. She will lose hope soon enough, and unleash the darkness. The power shall be yours yet." The musician changed tactics, seeing his prisoner imprisoned. Instead of playing on the higher strings, he began bowing against the lower strings in a darker, more dangerous tone.

"It is not whether or not she releases the darkness, but _when_. If she does it under your control, it is good and fine. However, if she does it of her own free will, it will be that much more powerful. She does not yet know –" _Thud._ "Damn them – what is that power?" Donovan cursed as he watched the scene unfold below him.

"Sounds like things are going our way," Balthier whispered to Fran as they tiptoed up the stairs behind Donovan and the unknown man.

"For the moment," she agreed. Both had their weapons at the ready, prepared to take out the two men as soon as they saw them. "Hopefully they are not suspecting an attack from behind."

The others, on the other hand, were not having as much luck. With Keldar out of the fight, Kairi healing his injuries, and the two Viera warriors firing everything they had at the barrier, only Riku, Sora, King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald were left to take Geni down. Riku had entrapped her in his Dark Aura, holding it until Sora, Donald, and Goofy had grouped together and synced their power levels enough to create Final Form. As their levels grew high enough, and they began to glow slightly, Sora called out to Riku. "Riku, ten seconds and then release her!"

"Right!" he called, sweat freefalling down the side of his face. His arm shook as he once again tried to strengthen the Dark Aura against Geni's attacks. She was using everything she had to try and get out, not having the free will to even consider what she was doing to herself. Riku knew they had to free her – someway, somehow. It was just at that moment that he felt and saw a surge in power, and three people morph into one super powered Keyblader. Seeing Sora in his Final Form, he released the Dark Aura, and fell to one knee, his magical powers almost exhausted.

The bombardment ceased immediately, and Geni stepped forward out of the settling cloud of dust. The leathers covering her armor were near in shreds, her hair and face covered in a fine layering of dust. Shaking her head, her eyes turned to the prone form in front of her. She took several steps forward as she lowered Songuraita towards Riku. "Come on Geni, snap out of it!" he begged her. "You can beat this!"

Her steps did not falter nor hesitate. "Please, we don't want to fight you!" Riku added, watching Sora creep up from behind her.

"She cannot hear you boy. Behind you!" the musician shouted down. Geni spun around and blocked Sora's double Keyblades with her staff. He grimaced, but pushed back against her. Geni was taken by surprise with the added strength that Sora gained in Final Form, and was thrown to his left to the center of the enormous hall. He jumped after her, keeping her away from his friends.

Riku slowly got to his feet, hearing the footfalls of someone running up behind him. "Are you alright?" Kairi asked him, frowning as she stepped in front of him.

"Fine," he murmured. "How are you doing?"

"Keldar is better, but he won't be of much help I'm afraid. I'm not that good of a healer yet."

"King Mickey?"

"Watching over him right now – come on." She pulled on his arm and assisted him back to the corner in which they were holed up. King Mickey and Keldar were watching Sora and Geni go at it, while the other two Viera continued their bombardment. "How are you doing?" Kairi asked Keldar as she knelt down next to him.

"I've been better," he said, wincing when she poked his side. He looked up at Riku, then turned away. "Sorry," he murmured quietly.

"For what?"

"This is all my fault. If I had kept my big mouth shut sooner, I would have been able to prevent all this," he said, waving his arm around at the carnage.

"You couldn't have known Donovan would have this planned for you," Kairi countered. "I mean, _I_ don't even really know what's going on right now…except for the fact that whatever song that man is playing up there is controlling Geni somehow."

"It is her _chuushin senkyoku_," he told them in a quiet voice. "The song of her heart."

"Her what?" three voices asked in surprise.

"Literally, it translates to 'chosen heart song.' At least, that is the only song that I would assume he is playing."

"Is it made with words of power, like at the Academia?" Kairi asked him.

"Yes…and no," Keldar admitted. "It is a closely guarded secret among the musicians and linguists. According to them, each person has something that is completely their own – it defines them. It is a piece of music, instrumental, sung, or both. For someone like Geni, or for a writer, it can be a poem, a novel, a story…anything. However…"

"What?" King Mickey asked, evading a piece of dislodged flooring being thrown his way.

"It is extremely difficult to figure it out. Most people never do."

"So the real question is…how did he?" Riku murmured out loud as he turned and watched Geni and Sora go at it. He had to admit they were really all out fighting against each other. Sora had both of his Keyblades out, and using elemental magic to keep Geni's attention diverted from the rest of the group. Geni, on the other hand, was still using Songuraita in its staff form, her body moving almost mechanically rather than her normal fluid movement as she fought.

"He said...something about the kind of information someone can get their hands on for the right price," Keldar said slowly.

"And that 'one would be surprised at how the promise of money and power can loosen tongues and minds,'" Kairi added, "when we arrived."

"Someone gave him the answer…from within the Academia, most likely," King Mickey said in a low, angry tone.

"Him, maybe?" Riku suggested, turning towards the constant mystifying music coming from the balcony where Donovan and the other man stood watching Sora and Geni fight.

"He's been playing since we arrived," Keldar answered. "And it's always the same song…yet different with every attack she sent my way. I think…I think I met him once before, at the Academia."

"Are you sure?" King Mickey asked him, wincing as Geni blew Sora into one of the walls with a powerful blast.

Keldar nodded. "I'm sure of it – he's one of her year mates. He must have overheard it somehow."

"That is a possibility," one of the Viera suddenly quipped in. "Fran and her hume friend are about to put an end to his playing," she said, nodding in the musician's direction.

Her words rang true. No more than a few seconds later there was a tremendous explosion on the balcony where Donovan and his cohort had been, shaking the temple to its very foundations. Fran and Balthier had succeeded in infiltrating the staircase leading towards the balcony; Fran used her skills in magic to put a small hole in their shield without drawing attention to themselves. When she did, Balthier threw one of his incendiaries at them that was large enough to crack even the toughest stone.

The Viera had been watching for this moment. When they saw the shield fail, in that instant they unleashed a volley of arrows. One seemed to have struck its target, for an ear piercing shriek of pain rang out and dissipated into the noise of the explosion.

On the other hand, once the music ceased, Geni froze mid-step with Songuraita raised over her head. She paused there momentarily, before her body went slack and her eyes rolled up into the back of her head.

"Geni!" Sora shouted, disengaging his Final Form. In a flash there were once again three people standing in the center of the hall. Sora ran forward and caught his sister before she cracked her head on the stone floor. "Geni? Geni! Wake up!" he said, shaking her.

Geni lay there with her eyes open and blank, staring up at the ceiling with no movement whatsoever. Sora gritted his teeth, holding his sister close and looking into the dusty carnage for the musician who had been controlling her.

"Sora! Is Geni okay?" Riku came running up from behind him. "What's wrong with her?" he asked in a soft voice, kneeling down by her side. He brushed his fingers along the side of her face. "Geni? Geni, please answer me."

"She cannot hear you yet," one of the Viera said, walking up with the others in tow. "The song must be reversed and played in its originality before she will waken."

"Here's the one you should ask about that then," Balthier announced, stepping through the settling dust. He was dragging someone by the back of their shirt, Fran stepping over debris next to him carrying the strange looking instrument. When they came within several feet, he threw the limp body forward – it was the young man who had been playing. "He's injured – but not as badly as he couldn't play."

It was true – he had an arrow shaft sticking out from his left shoulder, and one in his thigh. "I'll never play for you," he spat up at Balthier, struggling to get up.

"You play, or you'll lose something worse than your dignity," the sky pirate threatened, stepping forward and aiming his guns towards a place lower than the man's stomach.

He gritted his teeth. "Fine. Give me my exthant."

Fran kneeled down and handed him the instrument and bow. The musician sat up and crossed his good leg, setting the instrument upon his lap and placing the bow on the strings. As he drew the first notes across the strings, Geni visibly relaxed. As he continued to play everyone listened to the song – it was something they had never heard before, a song that was in tune directly to one's heart and soul. At first the man played the song in reverse to what he had been playing just moments ago, to what supposedly was the original song.

Sora closed his eyes. He had heard this song once before…long ago, just after he had first awoken from his slumber in the basement of the mansion on the outskirts of Twilight Town. After a few minutes, he felt stirring within his arms. Opening his eyes, he saw his sister blinking confusedly up at him. "Sora?" she asked in a daze.

"Welcome back," he told her with a grin.

At this exchange the musician stopped playing. "Fine, happy now? Now let me go."

"Not a chance. First, you're going to tell us how you learned that song," Balthier told him, aiming his guns directly at him. "And then you're going to help us find where Donovan ran to."

The man laughed. "So you really don't know his true plans then, do you?"

"He wants the power here all for himself, right?" Riku asked him as he and Sora both assisted Geni in sitting up. She blinked her eyes several times, looking around her in disorientation.

"Sure, but only after he –" The man was cut off as a bright red light enveloped him. He slumped over upon his instrument, dead.

Kairi shrieked in terror, while the others quickly backed away from him. "That will be enough," a deep voice called out. "I can't have any loose tongues."

"Donovan! Show yourself!" Keldar shouted angrily, jumping to his feet.

"Why should I? My plans are almost complete."

"What do you mean? I have not seen nor felt any immense power since entering this temple!" Fran called out, searching with her eyes and ears for their foe.

"That is because…it is not yet _here_. There are too many candidates present. However, that number recently has decreased by one." He laughed cryptically at them.

Keldar bit his lip, looking out of the corner of his eye towards Geni. She was still sitting between Sora and Riku, looking blankly out into the room. No one had noticed her silence as of yet. Before he could turn away, her gaze landed on him, sad and full of guilt. He knew he had to say something. "All you speak are lies Donovan!"

"Do I now? Tell me, why don't you enlighten our other guests? Former Crown Prince, Viera, and sky pirate? Tell the outsiders what they yet do not know about the people of this Realm. Who we _truly_ are."

He bit his lip. What _could_ he say?

"What is he talking about Keldar?" King Mickey asked him slowly. "What don't we know about you yet?"

"We…we are the descendants of those from the Keyblade War, as you know. We were forced to separate ourselves from the rest of the worlds, from the rest of the universe, to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again. Yet, because of this…we are…we are not…" he struggled to finish.

"We are not complete," Fran finished for him, sighing. _Why now?_

"Not…complete?" Sora echoed.

"We are the original Nobodies," Donovan stated as he stepped out of the shadows from the rubble underneath the destroyed balcony. "We _are_ Nobodies. And we do not exist."


	41. The Truth Of The Keyblade War

Chapter 40

"Wait…WHAT?" Sora suddenly cried in disbelief, jumping to his feet. "Nobodies?"

"That's…impossible," King Mickey breathed. "Nobodies are created when a person with a strong heart is turned into a Heartless, and the shell that remains becomes a being of nothingness. Nobodies are created from darkness and exist between the realms of light and darkness. You cannot…they are not…"

"Are not born and live lives as normal humans and anthropomorphic _creatures_ such as you do? Come now, your majesty, you are much worldlier than that." Donovan sneered at the group. "This Realm, all the peoples and creatures that live within it, are Nobodies. We are not the Nobodies as you have come to know, such as those in Organization XIII. We are the original Nobodies – those who were forcefully cut off from the rest of the universe as well as the other worlds. Those who were forced to live as flesh and blood beings without their most important feature. Think of us as living instruments, forced to fight the darkness for all eternity for the sins of our ancestors."

There was silence in the hall as Donovan's words descended upon the group of outsiders. The Realm of the Keepers…was in fact the Realm of the Nobodies? It was hard to swallow. One rejected it completely.

"That's a lie. Those are all lies!" Sora shouted at Donovan, his fist shaking in anger. "Nobodies are creatures that cannot feel because they don't have emotions because _they don't have a heart_! And every single person that I've met here so far has shown plenty of emotions!"

"The Nobodies you have met before have shown emotion as well, yes?" Donovan asked him dryly.

Sora closed his mouth, the retort dying on his tongue. Anger, sadness, happiness, even apathy…he had seen it all before coming from the members of Organization XIII. He unclenched his fist, the fire dulling in his eyes.

"It no longer matters Sora. Whether these people are or are not Nobodies, they are still people. And Donovan is still a monster, hungering for the darkness." Sora turned his head to see that Geni had slowly stood up next to him, her eyes on their enemy. Her eyes were hard, reflecting no emotion whatsoever. "We must defeat him."

_Hmm, interesting…_Donovan thought as he allowed himself a small smile. _She completely ignored everything I said to her before…_ "Defeat me if you can, but I will still claim the power as my own!" he shouted to them, before lifting his walking cane up off of the ground and slamming it back down. He was engulfed in a flash of green light, blinding everyone. When they could see again, Donovan was gone and in his place stood dozens of Guards.

"Do not let the traitors pass!" the foremost Guard shouted, and swords, spears, and weapons of all shapes and sizes were raised and pointed towards the heroes.

Geni wasted no time. She summoned Songuraita to her hand without a word; in a small flash of purple it just appeared there. When it did, she crouched down and performed and acrobatic maneuver that would make even the most agile of athletes jealous: she jumped straight into the air and over Guards, amassing a distance of almost seventy feet in one jump. It landed her on the other side of the group, and when just one toe had touched the ground she launched herself forward into the opposite opening in the hall.

Balthier whistled. "When that girl is determined, nothing can stop her. One thing though: does she even know if she is going in the right direction?"

Fran shrugged. "Genevieve is Genevieve. She has always had a sixth sense about these things, as you know. Even so…" she drew her bow out. "We should catch up to her, do you not think?"

"No, not often," Balthier grinned at his partner. The Viera rolled her eyes at the attempted joke and lightening of the mood. "Come one lads and ladies, hop to it!" He and Fran began blasting and shooting at the closest Guards, who until now had been waiting for the enemy to attack. At this onslaught, they rushed forward with a shrieking battle cry.

"Sora! After Geni!" Riku shouted to him. The brunette nodded and began making his way through the Guards, knocking down one after the other with his silvered best friend in tow not far behind him.

"Come on, we have to get to a safer place," Kairi told Keldar as she helped him to stand.

"Wait, hold on! I have to tell Riku and Sora –" Keldar began as the red head pulled him back.

"You can tell them later! Right now we have to get out of the way until the others clear a path!"

Sora was quickly making his way through the sea of Guards when he burst forth on the far side of the room. Stumbling momentarily, he quickly regained his balance and set off into the darkened corridor to follow his sister. "Geni? Geni!" he shouted, searching for her.

He heard nothing except for the pounding of his own feet on the stone floor. He could not even hear Riku following behind him…which he wasn't, of course. Riku was still caught up fighting the Guards in the main hall Sora had left behind.

_Damn it! How many more of them are there?_ Riku thought to himself as he knocked out yet another Guard. The four Viera warriors, as well as Fran and Balthier, were shooting straight into the flood of Guards and taking out as many as possible. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had all entered the fray along with Riku while Kairi was still watching over Keldar's injuries. Sora had run off a while ago now, and Riku could only wonder if he caught up to Geni or not. _He better have found her by now_, he prayed. _Who knows what Donovan is going to do next_.

At that moment, only three people had that information: Donovan himself, Keldar, and Geni. That is why Geni had run after him immediately before anyone could stop her. The only flaw in her plan, however, was running after her at his top speed intent on assisting her.

As Sora ran, he saw another light growing in the distance. _Okay, seriously…is this building bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? Kind of strange, if you ask me – but I've learned not to question these things. But if I see light, that's got to be where Geni is._ Sora pumped his arms faster, breathing heavily as he ran the fastest he ever had in his entire life. "GENI!" he shouted, hoping to the worlds she could hear him.

"GENI!" Said person heard the shout of her name and winced. She paused, turning around to look down the dark hallway she had emerged from. Shaking her head from side to side, the faint footfalls grew louder and louder until Sora emerged at a frantic pace into the bright light. He skidded to a halt upon seeing her safe…and alone. "Geni! You should have _pant pant_ waited for us!" he scolded her, bending over to catch his breath.

"Sora."

Sora looked up, realizing that something was amiss…something was _different_. He then realized that Geni was no longer wearing her armor that she had donned for this battle. Standing up tall, he then also realized that they were paused on some kind of terrace leading out into a wide green field, the sky strangely devoid of stars. There were several potted plants surrounding them, as well as much smaller pillars that seemed to grow out of the floor and attach themselves to the small ceiling that was still above them. "Where's your armor? Where…are we?" he said in awe, looking around at the emptiness stretched out before them.

"We are in the very center of the Temple of Origins. Beyond these steps the power that is granted to the future kings and queens of the Realm awaits. It is where Donovan has gone."

"You should put your armor back on – you might need it for protection," Sora continued, as if he hadn't heard her. He searched the area for it, and found it placed carefully next to a railing near the edge of the terrace. He walked over and grabbed one of the arms. "Here – put this on."

Geni looked at him for a moment, then smiled as she walked over to him. Taking the armament from Sora, she spoke in a soft voice. "Thank you Sora."

"What are you talking about –" he began to say, just as Geni leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Immediately Sora felt his body becoming extremely heavy, and he sunk to his knees. Geni threw the arm down with the rest of the armor, before kneeling next to him. "What –?" Sora tried to say, but his tongue was too heavy, as well as his eyelids.

Geni placed a hand around his shoulders and eased him up against the small wall. "Even though my life, my existence, has been a lie and a sham, you have made it the most wonderful experience anyone could ask for. Thank you Sora." Geni gently pushed on his shoulders, and Sora slumped against the wall.

He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't open. His eyes wouldn't obey him either; they were closing without his permission and everything was turning dark. "No…" he whispered hoarsely.

"It is for the best that you stay here. The others will find you when everything has ended…when this is all over." Geni brought up her fingers and closed Sora's eyes for him, hearing him take deep even breaths. She whispered the next sentence. "Even though you are not my brother, I will still protect you…you are the Keyblade Master of Light after all. You are still needed…still wanted. Goodbye Sora." She placed a hand upon his chest, transferring a bit of her power into a shield that would protect him.

Slowly she stood up, having severed her last tie. She had discarded her armor so graciously bestowed upon her by the people of Bhujerba, her blue uniform of the Academia that she used to wear every day without complaint, and even her two necklaces: Lirona's necklace and the crystal that used to connect her with Sora. Now, all that she wore was her pair of brown pants and her asymmetrical top. She wore no jewelry, save for the small band keeping her braid together, and no shoes nor sandals either. She was as plain as could be, except for the black staff sitting within the holster at her waist. It was in this way she walked forward away from her past, not once looking back.

Down the stone steps she walked, until her bare feet felt the change from smooth stone to rough grass. With no stars above her to light her way, she walked on into the open field where there was nothing but grass; no trees, no flowers, no stones, no nothing. It was truly empty. On and on she walked until she could no longer see the temple behind her. Even so she walked further, never stopping, never resting. Miles went by, until at last a shadow appeared before her.

"So you have come at last…and alone, I see. Wise choice." Donovan stood still as she walked closer and closer to him.

"You should know this by now Donovan – I care not for what happens to me. Only to them." She narrowed her eyes. "You have not acquired the power yet."

"Oh no, not yet. In fact, I was just waiting for the guest of honor to arrive." He laughed sinisterly. "And now that you are here, Genevieve, the ceremony can begin."

"Don't call me that," she snapped at him, reaching for Songuraita. As she pulled out her staff, it glowed a brilliant purple before it morphed into her Keyblade. "I will not allow you to corrupt this hallowed place."

Donovan laughed. "We shall see, my dear, we shall see." And with that, two of the wielders of darkness began their final battle.

"He said what?" Kairi shrieked, grabbing everyone's attention.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Keldar shouted back, clearly annoyed. "That's why we have to go after them, and NOW!"

"Riku!" Kairi shouted, grabbing his attention. "Clear a path!"

"On it!" Riku paused in his fighting and began to collect all of his energy. He released it all at once seconds later into a reverse Dark Aura, blasting away all of the Guards in a one hundred foot radius.

As he did this, Kairi and Keldar stumbled forward towards him, motioning and calling for the rest of the group to follow them. "What's going on?" King Mickey called as the floor suddenly cleared in front of them.

"I don't know. Kairi?" Riku asked as he fell into step next to her.

"Tell them what you told me," Kairi urged Keldar as he stumbled along with her help.

"Geni is planning on fighting Donovan alone," he started, "without getting the rest of us involved. She's going to kill him before he has a chance to corrupt the power that sleeps here in the temple, and sacrifice herself to the darkness within her before it can be unleashed upon the rest of the universe."

"Wait…so Geni _does_ hold the Keyblade of Death?" King Mickey exclaimed, skidding to a halt. The rest of the group paused to hear what he was saying; they were already in the darkened corridor leading to where Sora and Geni had already run to.

"And Riku the Keyblade of Darkness, yes," Keldar answered him.

"How do you know this? We've been trying to figure it out for ages!"

"It is because of what Donovan told us before you arrived…" Keldar trailed off.

_"Donovan, what have you done to her?" Keldar shouted angrily up at his ex-advisor._

_"I have done nothing. It is this talented young man who has her in his grasp," Donovan laughed. "Please, continue playing."_

_"Of course, your highness," the unknown man said with a grin._

_"Now you two young people, what shall I do with you? You came all the way here to prevent me from taking the ultimate power and unleashing darkness across the universe, this dimension and the other. Except…" he paused, and looked straight into Geni's fearful eyes, "it will not be I who will be doing so. It will be the one who bears the Keyblade of Death."_

_At that moment Geni suddenly understood everything in crystal clarity: the events surrounding her birth, her descent into darkness at the hands of Organization XIII, Dowager Queen Hisako allowing her to stay in the Realm of the Keepers and learn their secrets, and even her role as the dual sovereign of both the capital of the Realm as well as Bhujerba and the southern clans of sky pirates. Donovan only confirmed this moments later._

_"Yes, my dear…you not only wield the Keyblade of Death, but you never belonged to the outside universe to begin with. You are a Nobody. Like Lirona, like Hisako, like Keldar; like every single person you have ever met here. Sora is not your brother, nor are the Akeno's your true parents. You are a being of neither the light nor the darkness, but from the nothingness betwixt the universes into which you were born." He blinked once. "Now, kill your friend and unleash the darkness within your heart which you have been suppressing."_

Silence surrounded the group as Keldar finished Donovan's speech. "After that, she lost all free will and control of her body, and started attacking me. No more than a few minutes had passed before you all found us."

"So he told her the truth," Fran said softly. "The truth we had been keeping from her all this time."

"You knew?" Riku turned to the Viera, his fists shaking in a rage that also smoldered in his eyes. "You knew all this time that Geni was never born on the Destiny Islands, that she wasn't Sora's twin, and that her entire life was a lie?" With each word his voice grew loader and hoarser. "How could you! You were her friends!"

"Now wait a moment boy," Balthier began, stomping up to him. "We only kept from her that we were all Nobodies. None of us knew she was originally from here."

"That is true," another of the Viera finally spoke up. "When we met the young princess, the stories that all people knew about her was that she was from the outside universe – not from the Realm."

"We had a slight idea about her Keyblade, but nothing was ever confirmed," another of the Viera said to them.

"But if Geni wasn't from the Destiny Islands, how did Sora's mother recognize her?" Riku suddenly spoke up, tilting his head to the side in thought. Obviously the information from Keldar had disturbed him greatly, knowing that his first and only girlfriend so far had been living a lie and didn't know it. What else bothered him was the story he had learned from her upon the circumstances of her birth. According to everyone in Radian Garden, as well as the Akeno's, Sora and Geni's mother had given birth to them both but had decided to give up Geni for adoption. Geni then disappeared from the nursery at the hospital and somehow wound up in Radiant Garden.

"That's right…" Kairi said after a moment, thinking back to when Geni first came back to the islands with them. "She did recognize her. But if Geni isn't Sora's twin sister, wasn't born at the same time with him, and came from here instead, that wouldn't make any sense."

"Unless their parents were put under a spell," Fran suggested.

"But who would do that? Plant a baby in one world for five minutes, and then take them away to a different one? It doesn't make any sense, a-hyuk," Goofy added.

"No, it doesn't. It just gives me a headache," Donald quacked.

"Well, now isn't the time to be discussing this," King Mickey interrupted all of them. "We can ask questions later. Right now we have to go find Sora and Geni and stop Donovan."

"You're right. Let's get a move on!" Riku said, turning and about facing.

Keldar shook his head. "You're all foolish."

"So what does that make you?" Kairi told him, pulling him forcefully along with her.

"An even bigger one," he muttered under his breath.

"Exactly. Now come on."

The group ran as fast as they could, following the dark corridor just as Sora and Geni previously had. They could not hear the footfalls of the Guards following them, for which they were grateful, but also piqued their curiosity. After running for many minutes on end with no end in sight, the ground began to rumble. The group stumbled, some falling to the ground, some falling into others, and some falling into the pillars that still lined the walls.

The rumble grew steadily more forceful as well as louder. "What is that?" Riku called out. "Some kind of explosion?"

"No – it's too even, too consistent," Balthier called back, standing back up on his feet. "It sounds like something is moving. Something huge. Do you know where is it coming from Fran?" he his partner as he assisted Kairi and Keldar to their feet.

The Viera was silent. "In front of us…at the end of the tunnel. All I can sense…is darkness…" she shuddered.

The sky pirate frowned, although one could barely see it. "Get going – all of you." As one the group continued their run through the dark hallway, trying as fast as they could to catch up with their friends.

Riku felt a tightening in his chest, a cold fear spreading throughout his limbs. _What if we're too late?_ he thought to himself. _I couldn't face Sora or Geni if something happened to either one of them…_

"Look! A light!" one of the Viera cried. "Faster!"

Riku blinked, seeing a small pinprick of light growing ever larger in the distance. _Hang on you two – we're almost there._ But even as he said that, the rumbling ground began to rumble even harder, making it difficult to stay on one's feet. As the light grew closer, a noise began to infiltrate their ears as well. It sounded like the gushing of wind, interspersed with booms of thunder and the crash of debris.

"What's going on?" King Mickey called out to Fran. "What is with this noise?"

"I do not know," she called back truthfully. "But I can sense some kind of darkness ahead."

It wasn't just Fran – everyone who was making their way towards the light at the end of the corridor could sense some dark, malevolent presence lurking ahead of them. It was most likely the cause of the sound and now buffeting wind that was coming towards them. Forcing their way against this hurricane-like force, the group stepped out into the twilight and gasped in horror.

They were standing on a stone terrace surrounded by a small railing, clearly the edge of the temple they had just been in. Large potted plants were evenly spaced all around them, with one final blue crystal chandelier hanging above their heads. It radiated a soft light, enough to illuminate the surrounding area and not much else. But it was not this that caught everyone's attention.

"By the worlds," King Mickey whispered in fear. "What…_is_ that?"

A vast storm of black swirled in front of them, covering the horizon as far as they could see as well as towering up into the sky. It swirled and twisted inside of an invisible barrier, bolts of purple lightning streaking within it to light up the monstrous tempest. Many in the group held up an arm or hand to shield their eyes from the wind that tore at their armor and clothes, grass and the occasional stone flying through the air to buffet the stone walls behind them.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed in a mixture of happiness and alarm. She left Keldar's side and ran towards the edge of the terrace to their left, kneeling down at the unconscious Keybearer's side. "Wake up Sora!" She tried placing her hands on him, but they were deflected by an invisible barrier. It shocked her, but it wasn't too terrible. Kairi beat on the barrier over and over as sparks flew from it and made her hands sting.

"That will not awaken him," one of the Viera told her gently as she knelt down next to the hysterical girl. "It is a barrier of protection – one meant to keep him from harm. If you will cease your actions, it will undo itself." The Viera took her hands into her own, then spoke towards Sora. "We are not here to harm the hume boy, we are here to protect him."

As if by magic (which it was), the barrier suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. Kairi leapt forward and hugged the black clothed boy. "Sora, wake up!"

Sora mumbled to himself as he was shaken. Groggily he blinked his eyes open, seeing several faces swimming into view – except for the one that had left him there. He shot up, eyes wide open. "Geni! Geni, she –!" he started to say, before becoming extremely dizzy and falling backwards.

"Whoa, slow down Sora," Riku cautioned him as he knelt by his side. "Now, what about Geni?"

Sora took a deep breath and started over. "She's out there…in _that_. She went to fight Donovan all by herself. And she said…she said her life was a lie." Sora bit his lip. "What did she mean by that?"

"Ask him," Balthier said, pointing his thumb at Keldar while watching the storm of darkness intently with Fran and King Mickey. "Apparently Donovan said something to them before we arrived. It sounds like he made her think that she had come from here, and wasn't your biological twin after all."

"B-But that's impossible! My mom said –!"

"Yes, we know what your mom said Sora, we already talked about this," Riku said in a low voice. "Now isn't the time though to be worried about who is and who isn't lying. Right now we have to go help Geni."

That quieted him. "You're right." He stood up, leaning heavily on the railing. Kairi and the Viera assisted him, until he was alright to stand on his own; after which he walked over to stand next to the older warriors. "I don't know how this happened, but it was after Geni left me. It wasn't here when I first arrived."

"Donovan spoke to Keldar, saying that Geni did hold the Keyblade of Death…which also may mean that either they are both using an extreme amount of dark power to battle each other, or the prophecy is finally coming to fruition," Fran explained to him.

Sora turned his gaze out into the open darkness. The swirling mass in front of them made him feel like an ant due to its enormity; the only comforting – or maybe _not_ so comforting thought – was that his sister was out there. "So what do we do?" he asked her, turning to the tall Viera. "How can we stop this?"

"As if we could," Balthier answered for her. "The whole point of the prophecy was to stop it before it could happen. Remember, a storm of darkness swallowing the whole universe thing? Sounds pretty unstoppable to me."

"But there has to be something we can do!"

Just then, the storm of darkness expanded once more, shaking the ground and everyone around its perimeter. Unbeknownst to the group, it had just doubled in size taking up the entire horizon and everything that could be seen. Many held on to the small railing or each other, feeling Sora's smallness.

As if things could not possibly get any worse, tendrils of darkness began emanating from the sphere. Wherever they touched the ground turned a charred black. As they began to creep closer and closer, the humans, Viera, and anthropomorphic animals retreated back further into the temple.

"What _are_ those things?" Kairi said in a scared voice.

"The power of darkness, the true darkness," one of the Viera said softly. "It has been unleashed. Your sister has given in to the darkness inside of her."

"Or Donovan has beaten her, and is using _her_ power to corrupt the power that was sleeping here. If he has, it would be the same result," another Viera added.

"We have to find out," King Mickey declared. "We have to get in there."

"And how do you propose that, your majesty? Just walking into a typhoon manifested of pure darkness?" the third Viera spoke cynically. "That would be suicide."

"Look! Here it comes!" Donald suddenly shrieked in his warbled voice. As one the entire group turned to see many of the tendrils streaking for them across the once green grass, now a deathly black. Weapons were made at the ready, but unexpectedly were not needed. Within twenty feet or so of the temple the tendrils hit a barrier that flashed purple, many strange symbols glowing across it as they tried to get out to their prey.

"That magic…" Fran thought out loud. "That is Genevieve's magic!"

"Genevieve?" Keldar spoke finally, his eyes softening after watching for so long with a guilt ridden expression. "You mean…she's keeping the darkness confined within that barrier…to protect us?"

Sora felt anger welling up in his chest, but before he could do anything, he cried out in pain as a sudden vision flashed through his head.

"Sora!"

_He was standing in a meadow full of bright sunshine and green grass…it was the meadow Geni had walked out into when she had decided to fight Donovan on her own. "Sora." He turned and saw her standing in front of him, her hair blowing in the gentle breeze. Sora opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out._

"_I am sorry for deceiving you and placing a sleep spell on you, but if I had not you would have followed me, something I could not allow. Donovan only confirmed what I had thought all along – that I was not your sister, and was more a part of this Realm than anything else. My life was a lie. I will never really know who or why someone deceived us all for such an elaborate lie."_

_Sora felt his eyes prickle, moisture blurring his vision. He shook his head fiercely, as if to deny her statements._

"_Come now Sora – you're the Keyblade Master of Light. You need to be strong for everyone else now, okay?" She smiled a little at him, cocking her head. "I will keep the darkness that emanated from our battle and from within us from leaking out, until all of it has dissipated. By that time I will be gone." She looked down at her arms, as if she were already a ghost and could see right through them. "So…thank you. And goodbye," she said as she began to disappear._

_Sora stretched his hand out, reaching for her…_only to find himself reaching up towards the ceiling of the temple, flat on the ground with Kairi holding his head up. Tears were freely falling down his face as he lowered his arm.

"Sora? Sora, what happened?" King Mickey demanded as he knelt next to him.

"What did you see?" Fran asked him brusquely.

"Geni," he whispered in a hoarse voice. "She isn't going to come back."

"Sora, where is the crystal that Geni gave you?" Fran quickly asked him.

Hiccupping, he reached underneath his jacket and pulled out the crystal attached to the length of black cord. "Here," he told her, holding it up.

Fran reached out with her claws and grabbed it gently, examining it. "It still glows," she told him, "but the color has changed."

Everyone crowded around to see the pendant. Many gasped, seeing that the once bright purple glow was now mixed with a majority of dull black.

Riku clenched his fists in anger. He stood up, and began walking purposefully towards the stairs leading down into the once grassy field. He didn't stop when he heard the voices of his friends and the others calling frantically for him, nor when he approached the barrier that was keeping the darkness at bay. He just continued walking forward…until he had passed safely through it.

"Unbelievable…" one of the Viera whispered. "He walked through it was if it weren't even there."

"Look! The darkness does not touch him!" the other cried, amazed and afraid all at once. "What _is_ he?"

"He _was_ the child of darkness," Sora said in a low voice. "He controlled the darkness, and still does."

"Will he be alright?" Kairi asked him, intertwining her hand with his.

"I hope so," Keldar answered for Sora, praying that his once rival would put an end to whatever was happening out there.

As they spoke, Riku disappeared from view as he entered the storm of darkness – making his way towards the epicenter and hopefully the answers he was seeking.

He kept his hand up in front of his face, the gale force wind whipping his clothes and hair all over the place. Riku re-absorbed The Way To The Dawn, needing every ounce of his remaining strength to make his way forward. Even so, he was strangely calm; the darkness seemed to give him a wide berth, the tendrils keeping to themselves rather than trying to go for his heart as a Heartless would have done.

Riku could not distinguish any landmarks around him – it was all flat, all black, no life whatsoever beyond himself. Although it was noisy from the wind, there were no other sounds either; the sounds of battle or of voices were not to be heard. "Geni?" he tried calling out, but the wind caught his words and escaped with them. "Geni!" he tried, louder.

Contrarily, two things happened at that time. As if leading him on, the darkness in front of him suddenly thickened; however, it was also as if it was trying to bar him from continuing forward. Leading, yet obstructing. "Geni, if you can hear me, answer me please!" he called, trudging through the thick darkness. His vision and hearing were failing him; with only the darkness to see and wind to hear, it was blockading his senses until he was left quite isolated.

It was after taking several more steps Riku realized that it was suddenly, and utterly, quiet. The darkness was still and absolute, no more wind buffeting his ears. Had he entered the eye of the storm already? He listened for any familiar sounds, searching for any familiar sights. A flash of deep blue to his left caught his attention, but when he whipped his head around to look it was gone. He ran towards where he had seen it, but like a ghostly apparition it appeared again…this time to his right. He changed directions, heading towards it. A soft laugh rang through the stillness, quite out of place in the hellish darkness.

Riku opened his mouth to call out, but found his vocal chords were not obeying him. He stopped mid stride, gaping, as he clawed as his throat. _I can't talk!_ he thought to himself, since he couldn't talk to himself obviously.

Another soft laugh sounded, this time in front of him. It held a humorous tone, as if mocking his predicament. Shaking his head, Riku ran forward as fast as he could…and continued to run. He kept on running and running through the darkness, until he realized that he must have covered more distance than several blitzball stadiums. The darkness was like a maze, trapping him within it without any hope of finding his way out. This sudden realization brought him to a standstill. He stood there, alone and lost in the darkness, just as he had two years ago before King Mickey had found him and led him to Castle Oblivion.

_This time you are not alone in the darkness._

Riku spun his head around, searching for the speaker.

_You will not find us, young Keybearer…at least, not yet._

Another voice joined in with the first. _Actually, he has to find _her_ before he can find _us._ Right?_

_Good luck with that one!_ yet another voice laughed. The three speakers were invisible, yet close to him, since their voices seemed to be almost within reaching distance.

_But how?_ Riku thought. _I don't know where Geni is! And this darkness…I can't find anything in here!_

_Were you not once proclaimed as The Child of Darkness?_ the first voice asked. _As such, are you not at home here?_

Riku did not answer. He did not deny his past; nor, however, did he want to remember it.

_It's a part of you! You wield the Keyblade of Darkness! Darkness isn't always such a bad thing. Where would the moon be without it? There would be no night; no crickets, no stars to see,_ the third voice said indignantly.

_That is enough,_ the second voice chided gently. _We must allow him to figure it out from here._ And with that, the three voices receded back into the darkness.

Riku thought about the strange confrontation with the three disembodied voices. He thought long and hard about what each of them said, before coming to a conclusion. _So what if I was or am the Child of Darkness? I can wield the darkness, and it will serve me…not control me._ Riku raised his right arm. _Show me the path that will lead to Geni!_ he commanded the darkness all around him.

At first, he could not see if anything had changed. However, within a few moments, he could feel that the flow of darkness had changed. It was no longer still and all encompassing, but rather pulling him gently along like a stream towards his destination, like a leaf floating upon the surface. Riku allowed the darkness to sweep him away, pulling him towards some unknown destination.

"What's going on in there, I wonder?" Sora said out loud. "It seems like nothing has changed."

"That's because nothing _has_, Sora," Balthier sighed. They had been waiting a rather lengthy time for something to happen. Once Riku had entered the enclosed dome filled to the brim with darkness, they had assumed that it would change shape, or something. However, to their disappointment, nothing had. The storm did not lessen, did not shrink in size, nor the wind die down.

"What do you think is going on right now? Do you think Riku has found Geni yet?" Kairi asked him.

Balthier shook his head. "I'm not too sure myself. That dome does cover rather a large area." He looked over towards Fran. "And it doesn't seem like Fran or the others have sensed any changes yet."

The Viera, including Fran, had begun some type of Vieran meditation once Riku had disappeared. All they would say is that they were going to monitor the darkness and to see if they could sense anything beyond Geni's barrier. So far, from when they sat down until that very moment, they had neither moved nor spoken a word.

Donald warbled out an irritation. "Come on! Either they're still fighting, or they're probably trapped inside! We should go and help them!"

"We can't Donald, a-hyuk," Goofy reminded him with a pat on his shorter companion's shoulder. "None of us can control the darkness; we would probably be smashed to smithereens in a few seconds. Right, King Mickey?"

"Or something to that effect," the small mouse king replied with a twitch of his lip. "But Goofy is right fellers – this isn't our fight any longer. It's up to Geni and Riku now."

Sora bit his lip. "But what about what she told me?" he added softly.

The group was silent as they pondered his question. Sora relayed everything Geni had told him after Riku had swiftly left. The Viera could not make heads or tails of her conclusions, yet they could not deny them either. It seems the circumstances around Sora's supposed twin sister's birth were still murky.

"I wonder if that old bag schemed all of this," Balthier suddenly muttered.

"Who?" Sora quickly asked, turning to face him.

"Well, two old bags, if you ask me."

"Who?" Sora repeated, this time with a bit more irritation in his voice.

"Lirona and Hisako. They're both old enough that they would have been around when this happened. What if they conspired this whole story? Taking her away, setting her up to be found in Radiant Garden, having the Heartless attack her –"

"That's a bit farfetched Balthier," King Mickey quickly intervened.

"– having her live at the Disney Castle with all of you, that 'accidental' trip here…_everything_. What if they all made this possible, just so one day she would defeat Donovan, or the darkness, or both of them? What if she was just a pawn to them this whole time?"

"She played her part according to her role then. And now…that story is coming to a pass. Will she fight on, continuing the story…or will it end here?" Fran suddenly said in a soft voice as she opened her blood red eyes – staring into the distance as the storm of darkness suddenly doubled in size.

Riku did not know how long he had been adrift, but after a long while it seemed that the darkness had slowed significantly. Looking around, he could see nothing out of the ordinary…except for the fact that this darkness that was now surrounding him felt lighter, less oppressing. _I must be near her – what did she say to Sora? That she's keeping the darkness in check until it has disappeared? I wonder what she meant by that…I mean, it's not like the darkness just disappears..._ However, he had a sudden realization. _Unless she is using her own life force to purify it!_ he thought to himself in horror.

Purifying the darkness is no easy matter. For that, an enormous amount of power and energy is required to do so – and usually at the cost of great sacrifice. The last time Geni had tried to purify the darkness, or something tainted by the darkness, she had given up her own heart in order to stop Xemnas from corrupting Kingdom Hearts back in The World That Never Was.

Riku's anger was renewed. He tried once more, opening his mouth. This time, he knew that something around him was different, for a hoarse shout erupted. "GENI!" he screeched.

As if it had finally listened to its master once more, the darkness parted in front of him, and a lighter area appeared in front of him. Although the area was engulfed in a lighter gray color, there was some kind of a small light coming from behind it. Riku ran forward and through the opening, finding himself suddenly within a cloister of ancient, gnarled, and blackened trees. Each was at least three arm spans around, a total of ten or more surrounding the clearing in front of him. He walked forward, only able to gaze in awe at the scene of carnage before him.

There was not a single blade of grass untouched by the mayhem. Holes, most likely from explosions of some kind, littered the ground with every step he took. The once green trees had lost all of their leaves, some branches missing, and most of the bark charred black. Some small fires still burned in some places; in other strange colored smoke rose from the ground. Enormous chunks of stone lay littered everywhere as well; some looked as if they had been broken off of larger pieces to either attack or deflect each other.

As he gazed from side to side, a sudden patch of color caught his attention in the center of the clearing. Through the gray fog he could not quite see what it was, but upon his arrival Riku gagged. He quickly turned, heaving onto the ground as he tried to blank out his mind from what it had just witnessed.

The body that lay on the ground – still and unmoving, mind you – also had a pool of blood underneath it, by which now had solidified into a crimson mass. Cloth was burned and cut away, showing off deep wounds that went straight to muscle and bone. Parts of the body were bent in ways a body should not bend. It had been tortured until the end…by someone cruel and unfeeling, or possibly by someone who had exacted their revenge upon him.

Yes…him. For the body, the dead body was that of the evil Donovan. The same man who had put them through hell and back. The same man who had had conspired, plotted, and murdered, all to reach his goal of becoming the most powerful entity in both universes.

Riku wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, breathing out heavily. He shakily got up from his knees, avoiding the sight of the dead body. He did notice on thing, however: Donovan's face had been covered with a piece of cloth, the last bit of respect to an evil man. Looking around, he realized that the one person who could have done this was nowhere to be seen.

"Geni?" Riku called out. He waited for an answer in the silence, but none came. In this barren landscape he knew that he would probably be able to spot her instantly, the only spot of color there. He began by walking around the perimeter, near the dead trees, but alas there was no one there. He tried again. "Geni, where are you? Please answer me!" It was at this point that Riku_ also_ realized that Geni may be unable to answer him, either due to the darkness emanating from around them or from injuries she sustained in her battle against Donovan.

This thought quickened his pace. Finding no trace of her in the immediate area, he once again ordered the darkness to do his bidding. Seeing as it was much easier this time for it to obey him, Riku brushed the worry off. "Find Geni," he commanded. He felt the darkness around him shift and swirl until he felt that familiar tug once again. Following it, the darkness led him past the grove of trees and away from the portal he had used to enter the clearing. It led him in the opposite direction, and this time towards something different…something unsettling.

This time Riku felt that the darkness was being pulled in, yet also being emanated, in the place it was leading him to. The light began to fade away and the darkness began to resume. As he walked along, he felt something familiar begin to emanate in the darkness, as if he knew this brand of darkness compared to another. It was softer, yet unforgiving as it swirled around the intruder.

Riku knew he had at last found her. "Geni?" he called out. "Geni, if you can hear me, say something!"

_There – in front of you, _all three of the strange voices said to him at once.

Riku turned his gaze to his front. For once, they had been right. "Geni!" he cried, letting the darkness go and running towards her. "Geni, are you –" he stopped midsentence as he crashed into a barrier surrounding her. He pounded on it angrily. "Geni, stop this! Don't do this!"

She did not respond to him. Geni floated several feet above the ground, protected by her last line of defense and the last of her power. Beneath her darkness was being absorbed into her body at a steady rate – for that matter, her skin was pale, and her battle wounds seemed more predominant because of that. On the top of her body, the darkness flowed back out of her; however, it seemed to have changed. It no longer seemed menacing, but peaceful – the kind of darkness that surrounds you and lulls you into a calm slumber.

Looking at her, Riku could tell that her battle with Donovan had been fearsome. Most of her clothes were ripped – at least, the ones she had left on. Deep cuts that had already stopped bleeding but had cut deep into her permeated her weak pallor. He could also see that some of her hair had been burnt; some of her spikes were missing, charred into stubs on the side of her head where she had probably very narrowly missed a fireball of some kind. Her belt that had held Songuraita was nowhere to be seen, as well as Songuraita itself. Perhaps Geni had withdrawn it into herself once more, drawing on the last of her power to prevent the darkness from spreading.

Even so, her face was calm. And a small smile seemed to tug at her mouth, giving her the illusion of finding something amusing in her current situation.

"Geni! Take down this barrier right now!" Riku commanded her, shouting himself hoarse. "Let me in! I can help you!"

_No…_ an almost ethereal voice seemed to say, like a gentle wind flowing all around him.

Riku looked around. It hadn't been any of the three voices he had heard earlier; two had definitely been male, while the other was female. So it must have been… "Geni, damn it, I_ know_ you can hear me! Now stop this foolishness. I can help you diffuse all this darkness!"

_She cannot hear you Keybearer._

_Or, rather, she _won't_ hear you._

The voices had returned. "What do you mean? Besides the fact that she's too stubborn to accept my help," he added grimly.

_What they _meant_ is that she is trying to protect you in her own way. Taking on Donovan, leaving Sora behind, and now diluting the darkness with her own body? That's her way of protecting all of you. Even if she thought that everything she had known up until know was a lie._

_And that _also_ was a lie._

At that moment, Riku felt something come near him. Three somethings, for that matter. He did not feel alone any more, and knew that the voices were somehow present next to him. "What do you mean, a lie?" he whispered, staring down at Geni.

_This situation is more complicated than you may realize. Open your heart to us Keybearer of Darkness. Open your heart to your ancestral self._

"Wha-?" Riku tried to say, before he felt warmth enter his body. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the barrier around Geni disappear and her body falling to the ground in slow motion.

Sora whipped his head in the direction of the storm. "Something's…happened," he said slowly.

"Something is coming," Kairi added, both Keybearers of Light and Life watching with intense expressions at the swirling darkness.

"Indeed," Fran said as well, standing up slowly to stretch her long legs. "Balthier."

"What? I don't see –" and at that moment, two bolts of light flew out of the storm at breakneck speeds, aiming directly for the group. Several shouts of surprise rang up but before anyone could do anything blurs of blue and white ran into and disappeared into Kairi and Sora respectively. They hit the ground, unconscious, only seconds later.

"SORA!"

"KAIRI!"

_The field was filled with the smells of sweet grass and the perfume of wildflowers. As he stood there, he inhaled the heady aroma. It was a beautiful day out – the sun was shining, nary a cloud in the sky. He allowed a minute smile to come over his face before he was interrupted by a loud shout._

_"Terra! Terra, what are you doing?" The aforementioned Terra turned around and saw his younger companion Ventus running towards him, waving his arms animatedly._

_"Taking in the day," he replied in his usual solemn tone. "And why all the shouting? And where's Aqua?"_

_"That's what I've come to tell you – there's a new Keyblade Master-In-Training here! Just like me!"_

_Terra raised an eyebrow. "Really now. Master Eraqus said nothing of the sort when I saw him this morning."_

_Ventus rolled his eyes. "Whatever Mr. I'm-Made-Of-Stone. Come on!" Time seemed to speed up as the two young men made their way towards what seemed to be a small town. It slowed down once more as they entered a type of main street with other people milling around. As they walked by a store with a glass windowed front, Terra turned his head to look into the glass…and Riku saw his own reflection. What surprised him further was that Ventus' reflection was that of Sora._

_"Aqua!" Ventus called out, running ahead of Terra. A young woman with a shock of blue hair stood next to a much younger girl, who seemed about the same age and height as Ventus. Her hair was tied into two spiky buns behind her ears. She also had two long spikes framing her face that were dyed a deep purple. Besides her eccentric hairstyle, her clothing was oddly plain. She was wearing a pair of long black pants, with a long blue tank top over a longer black one that had its straps slid down onto her arms. Her pants were tucked into a pair of fitted black boots, and had a heart-shaped silver locket on a long silver chain looped around her neck several times. At her waist lay a black belt with several loops that looked like they were made to hold items, as well as several small pouches._

_"Terra! Ven!" Aqua called, waving them over. The much taller male and the shorter male made their way over to the two women. "Glad to see you found him Ven," she said in an endearing way to the shortest of the trio of friends._

_"He was in his usual thinking spot," Ven said with a shrug._

_"Who is this?" Terra finally asked, speaking as the other two talked as if he weren't there at all._

_"This is Ciréna. She__ is going to be the new trainee, like Ven. Say hello__ Ciréna."_

_"Hello," replied a soft voice. She looked down at her feet, her hands folded over themselves politely as she tried to be as inconspicuous as possible._

_Terra inwardly groaned. 'Great, another one with problems. First Ven and his lost memory, now Ciréna with a shy complex.' "It's nice to meet you," he said in what he hoped was a nice voice, and stuck his hand out. "My name is Terra."_

_Ciréna didn't move, although she tilted her head up slightly. She seemed…confused at the gesture. Aqua noticed this, and quickly whispered into her ear. As she leaned away, the trio heard a very audible gulp as she swallowed her nervousness and looked up. A pair of brilliant blue orbs, the same shade as Ven's, stared Terra straight in the face as she locked hands with him. "It's nice to meet you too." The window behind the two women reflected back the images of Kairi and Geni in the other bodies. The four were together, yet still apart. What was this vision telling them?_

_Fast forward. The four of them were practicing their Keyblade techniques in a long hallway within the Land of Departure. Ciréna swung at Ven, who narrowly avoided her by flipping over her head. Terra and Aqua were locked in close combat. Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort looked on, nodding every so often._

_Fast forward again. "Congratulations to the four of you. Although the road has been long, and fraught with the evil side of darkness, you have claimed your rights to be Masters of the Keyblade."_

_Riku was beginning to feel nauseous as time skipped forward once again. However, he felt a strange sensation that they were almost at the end. Seeing his three friends within the reflections of these other people had him quite confused as well. The only thing he knew was that the disembodied voices he had heard earlier belonged to these three people._

_Sora could not believe his eyes. This…Ventus person…he looked exactly like Roxas!_

_Kairi watched the four mysterious people talk and laugh. They were good friends, just like herself, Sora, Geni, and Riku were._

_For the last and final time, time slowed to a half as a battlefield swam into view. They were on an island, surrounded by an enormous ocean. Palm trees swayed in the breeze, but beyond the wind it was deathly silent. As Terra's gaze panned around, he took in the carnage about him._

_Warriors lay still where they fell, blood coagulating and cooling in the sunset's golden rays. Armor was cracked, Keyblades broken, lives lost…all for the sake of gaining control over the light. Terra turned his head away, bile rising in his throat as he walked over towards his injured companions._

_Ven lay up against one of the palm trees, a hand at his side stained red. Aqua was tending to him, and occasionally looking over towards her other charge that needed medical attention. "How's your left arm?" she asked Terra quietly._

_"Fine. It will heal," he told her brusquely. "How is Ven?"_

_"I'll live," he said with a grin, before coughing and heaving violently. Aqua held up a piece of cloth to his mouth, and rubbed the back of his armor. He quieted after a few moments, thanking her. The cloth was stained red now as well._

_"Where is Ciréna?" he asked Aqua, looking around. "I told her to stay nearby. We don't know who _or_ what may still be here on these desolate islands."_

_"She was on the beach…with Master Eraqus," Aqua said in a soft voice. "I think…I think she wanted to say a final goodbye to him. Could you…?"_

_Terra nodded. He turned and walked the short distance between the forest of palm trees before seeing the telltale gleam of water and the noise of breaking waves. Upon exiting, he looked up and down the beach before he saw the lone figure a small distance away. She was still kneeling on the sand, her hands clasped in front of her. Terra walked quietly up behind her, his armor clinking almost inaudibly, and waited, hearing her sniffle. Looking upon the ornate Keyblade stuck in the sand and the recently built up pile of sand in front of it, he swallowed hard._

_"He saved our lives," she said in her quiet voice. It wavered slightly._

_"He did," Terra confirmed. "He saved more than just ours. By defeating Master Xehanort and his followers who would corrupt the light into an evil darkness, he saved all the worlds in the universe as well."_

_Ciréna's knuckles gleamed white as she held her hands tightly together. "All this…over the Keyblades…over the light so abundant all could share it." Her voice cracked as she turned and flung herself into Terra. "He shouldn't have had to die!"_

_Terra placed his hands upon the girl who clung to his waist, looking up to the bright blue sky as it began to be tinged red by the setting sun. "You are right – he should not have had to," he agreed. "Even so, Master Eraqus – as well as the rest of us – knew that this is our duty as Keyblade Masters. We are to protect the light and the darkness, and the hearts of every person and every world. He died doing just that. He should be remembered for his sacrifice, rather than mourned for it…don't you think?" he finished, kneeling down to look the young girl in the face._

_Tears streamed down Ciréna's face as Terra tilted her chin up gently to look at him. She had grown so much in such a short time – of course her timidity prevailed at times, when meeting new people or going to new worlds – yet she held herself with such confidence in knowing her place and her duty. She would protect Terra, Aqua, Ven, and would have protected Master Eraqus to the end, even if it cost her life. They had become her family in the few years that she had come to know them. Hearing the wisdom in Terra's words, she nodded. She wiped her eyes with her hands._

_"There's a good girl," Terra said, giving her one of his rare smiles and wiping away one of her last tears with his thumb. "Now, Aqua should be just about finished, and then it is time to get started. Where did you place your prophecy?"_

_"With Master Sidney. He will keep it safe until the time comes to pass."_

_"Quite a talent you have there," Terra said as he tapped her gently on the head with his fist._

_Ciréna swallowed loudly, dipping her head to hide a few more tears and a smile. Terra stood up, pulling her up by the shoulders with him as she dried her face. She turned around, and both of them gave one last look at the grave before making their way back in silence. They sand swooshed gently under their metal boots, the only sound besides the waves leading out into the deep blue ocean waters. It wasn't until Terra felt a slight brush at his fingers that he knew that her doubts were still lingering. He grabbed her trembling hand and gave it a squeeze of reassurance._

_Hand in hand they walked until Aqua and Ven came into view. He was standing up, his hand cleaned of his own blood. He smiled and waved to the two of them, and Aqua turned to give them both a look of relief. As they strolled up, she stepped forward and embraced Ciréna tightly. "Don't wander off too far where we can't see you, alright?"_

_Terra let her hand go as Ciréna hugged her back. "I'm sorry Aqua – I won't."_

_"Good." She let go of her and turned towards Terra. "We are both ready now."_

_"Are you sure?" He looked at each one of them in turn. "Once we do this, we cannot _undo_ it."_

_"Separating ourselves and those involved in this war is the only way to end the fighting and the need for the fighting," Aqua reiterated. "You know this better than any of us Terra."_

_"Ven? Ciréna? You have a say in this too, you know," he said, turning to face the shorter and much younger members of the group._

_Ciréna shook her head, wearing a sad smile on her face. "No, it isn't. Remember what you told me? We are the protectors of the light and darkness, of the hearts of the people as well as the hearts of all worlds. There is no choice."_

_"I agree," Ven added. "Master Eraqus died protecting us so we could protect everyone else. By separating ourselves and all Keybearers from this universe, we can protect those who would want that kind of power for themselves – especially the kind of power that could corrupt Kingdom Hearts. It almost happened this time. It shouldn't happen ever again."_

_Three faces full of determination looked at their leader. "I guess we are all unanimous then," Terra finally said with a large sigh. "Good. Let's begin then." He closed his eyes and summoned his Keyblade, an enormous weapon with huge teeth. With a forceful push he shoved it into the ground in front of him. Likewise, so did Aqua, Ven, and Ciréna with their own Keyblades. As they were placed in a sort of circle, they began to glow white very softly at first, but which grew brighter as the four Masters joined hands._

_Terra opened his eyes, a strange yellow glow coming over them. "Kingdom Hearts – hear us and show your doors to us!" Suddenly the Keyblades condensed the light around them and a pillar of it shot up into the sky. The clouds gathered and darkened momentarily before they dispersed to show a blue heart-shaped moon hanging high above them. Terra continued his plea. "Kingdom Hearts, we ask you to seal away the hearts of all Keybearers forever! Seal away all Keyblades with their hearts! Seal away the Keyblades, and seal away their need in exterminating the creatures of darkness known as the Heartless!"_

_"Use our power!" Aqua shouted out after him, raising her eyes to the moon above._

_"Use our lives!" Ventus shouted after her, purpose in his voice._

"_Use all of what we have! Use us completely to seal away our family, our friends, and our comrades in the new Realm!" Ciréna shouted to Kingdom Hearts, wishing with all of her heart that it would hear them. "Take our lives, our hearts, and our Keyblades and create a new universe for our people!"_

_The beam of light hit Kingdom Hearts with all its fury. At first, it did not seem as if anything had happened. Slowly, however, Kingdom Hearts began to change colors – from a light blue to a deep crimson. When the change had been completed, a second beam of light shot down twice as fast as the first had and engulfed the four people in its light._

_Four identical screams of pain echoed throughout the islands. Having your body, heart, and literal soul ripped apart to use as creation energy was something that no one should have ever experienced. Ciréna gasped and shut her eyes tightly, feeling every cell in her body struggling to free itself from its physical form. "It hurts!" she cried through the pain, wanting to do nothing more than curl up in a ball and cast a Curaga spell on herself._

"_Ciréna," a voice calmly spoke in her ear. "My dear…you must let go now…"_

_The pain lessoned as she squinted. "Master…Eraqus?"_

"_The others are waiting for you. Yes, it may hurt, but that is only physical pain. And you no longer have a physical body that can feel that anymore. Now come and rest my dear…your battle is over."_

_Upon hearing this, Ciréna suddenly felt calm and her body no longer ached. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open. An older face with graying hair swam into view, smiling at her. "Master Eraqus," she said, her eyes watering with happiness…_

"Sora, Kairi, wake up!"

"Can you hear us?"

"Open your eyes!"

Sora could hear many voices calling for him. _Wake up Sora – the dream is over, and reality is waiting for you._ He blinked his eyes open slowly as he saw King Mickey leaning over him, as well as Balthier. "Boy, you sure had us worried!" he scolded as he helped the younger man sit up. "What's wrong?" he quickly added, seeing his face.

Sora looked at him blankly.

"You're crying."

"So is Kairi," Fran added. "You were unconscious for a long time. What happened?"

Brushing off the questions, Sora stood up suddenly. Kairi did as well. As one they walked over to the steps and descended onto the grass to watch the storm of darkness. _"So it has finally happened,"_ Sora said in a voice that was not his own.

_"They have found each other at last, as did we. Her prophecy did come to pass as intended,"_ Kairi replied to him, sounding much older than her fifteen years of age.

_"Then our parts in this story have finally ended. We can rest in peace now,"_ he told her as he looked at her with a smile.

_"Then let's go get them – right, Ven?"_

_"Sure Aqua."_

Two orbs of blue and white energy collected and flowed out of Kairi and Sora, and flew once again into the storm of darkness. As they disappeared, Sora and Kairi lost their balance slightly before they regained it and looked around in confusion. "Kairi…what just happened?" Sora asked slowly in his own voice once more.

"That is what we would like to know," Fran said in an irritated voice. "The storm of darkness has stopped growing, yet has not dissipated completely. Then you two are possessed by some sort of energy, which may have not been energy but the spirits of our Keyblade wielding ancestors. Would you care to explain?"

"Aqua…and Ven…they were us – thousands of years ago during the Keyblade War," Kairi began as she turned to face the group that had gathered around them. "They showed us their past and their part in the war."

"Geni and Riku too!" Sora suddenly exclaimed. "That's right – the four of us are them! The prophecy!"

"Wait…what?"

Within the storm of darkness a similar situation was occurring. "What…just happened to me?" Riku moaned as he held his head. He had just woken up and was lying upon the ground. His head ached, as if he had been hit one too many times with a Struggle bat. "Who…were they? And…Geni! That's right!" He whipped his head around in search for her, only to find her several yards away lying still and silent as she faced away from him.

Riku shakily rose to his feet and clambered over to her. He gathered her up in his arms, relief spreading through him as he noticed that the darkness was no longer infiltrating her body. "Geni? Geni? Come on, wake up. Everything's okay now." He nudged her frail and battered body.

It was then that the blue and white orbs arrived, having made it safely through the storm. They floated up to Riku, his eyes wide in surprise.

_She will not awaken just yet,_ the blue orbed entity told Riku.

"Why not?"

_Because she is waiting, _the white orbed entity answered. _Do you remember what we showed you?_

"The Keyblade War…that somehow you are us, and we are you. But I don't understand –"

_You will soon enough_, the third voice answered as a yellow orb floated out of Riku and stayed motionless before him with the other two. _She must realize the truth of her own accord; otherwise the last of us will not fully awaken. Come; open your heart once more to us and to your friend._

"Alright," Riku replied hesitantly. He closed his eyes…

And saw himself surrounded by numerous doors and an endless hallway. _I know this place_, he thought to himself. _We're in…_

"Genevieve's mind," a voice said from behind him. Riku spun around to see Geni's Nobody, Ciréna, staring at him with a sad smile on her face. "Welcome back Riku."

"Hello again," he answered. "So what is going on? Why am I here? What did those three mean that Geni won't wake up unless she 'realizes the truth of her own accord'?"

"As strong as she is," Ciréna said, shaking her head, "she is fragile and human. Her mind and her heart have played tricks on her before; although they were caused by someone else, her views had been warped until she could no longer identify fiction from reality, lies from truth. At this very moment she doubts her existence, and so doubts her place in the universe. Donovan has told her many lies this day – we need to correct them. And to do that, the four of us needed to gather the last of our remaining energy once more and make sure that the prophecy which I predicted long ago would come to pass."

"So that was you! Wait…then that would mean…" Riku began, before his eyes opened wide with surprise. "That would mean that we –!"

"Yes, exactly. Now, Geni needs to know this right now before she does anything drastic like forcefully pulling darkness through her body again to purify it." Ciréna turned around. "This way."

Riku had no idea how many twists and turns they made, but after at least a good twenty minutes (he assumed) they found themselves before an ominous looking door. "This is Geni's heart," Ciréna explained. "Our hearts and minds are connected, yet how we act is based upon what our heart feels. I think we can reach her best in here. Now, just to warn you – the heart is a sanctified and private place. It is like our minds, only many guard it more closely than others. Don't be afraid."

"After all I've seen today? I highly doubt that anything I see now will surprise me." Riku chuckled a little.

Ciréna watched him closely. "You know, you two really are a lot alike."

"Who?"

"You and Terra," she restated as she opened the red door before them. Instantly the scenery changed around them. Oddly enough, they were in the middle of a field with only grass and a few flowers scattered here and there. Clouds covered the sky and sun, giving the illusion that it would rain any moment. It was this way as far as the eye could see…except for a small bump of white amidst the green. "There!" Ciréna pointed. She shook her head as she began walking towards it. "I swear, she has more mood swings than Ven sometimes."

"She's a lot like Sora…" Riku began, but trailed off. He remembered that Geni still thought that she was a Nobody – that Sora wasn't her biological brother. "Speaking of which how are we going to make her believe that everything Donovan told her was a lie?"

Ciréna winked at him. "_We_ have a way." Riku tried to prod her for more information, but she stayed silent. As they drew nearer to the white lump, Riku could see that it was not in fact just a lump on the ground but a boulder sized pair of wings curled into a large ball.

Ciréna strolled right up to them and placed a hand on them. "Geni, it's time to come out of there."

The feathers rustled, but no movement was made to move them.

Ciréna motioned for Riku to step forward and mimic her movements. "Geni…it's me, Riku. Everything is okay now – you've saved everyone and everything. Donovan is gone, and isn't going to hurt anyone anymore. So please…don't hide from me."

Another rustle, but this time a voice accompanied it, heavy with grief. "I am no one and nothing. I'm not even worthy of that name," she said in a whisper.

"That's not true!" Riku exploded. "Donovan lied to you! You aren't a Nobody!"

"Then who am I supposed to believe?" she whispered back. "Donovan was a liar, Hisako was a liar, Lirona was a liar…who knows, maybe even you're lying to me right now just to get me to come out."

Riku clenched his fist. _She's so stubborn!_

Ciréna saw his anger and waved a hand to calm him down. "Fine. If you won't believe Riku, than believe me…and Terra, and Aqua, and Ven – the people you are reincarnated from."

"Reincarnated?" Riku gasped. He thought that maybe they just shared similar traits…but this would explain a lot. Before he could say anything more, the three orbs of light in blue, white, and yellow appeared before him and elongated. Quickly they took the shape of the three people Riku had seen in the vision…Terra, tall and steadfast as the earth. Aqua, graceful and fluid as water. Ven, swift and capricious as the wind.

Ventus waved his hand, and a gust of wind blew the feathers apart, revealing Geni sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried in her knees. "Now listen to the truth," he told her in a kind voice. "The real truth surrounding your entire existence."

"You were born to the couple named Akeno on the Destiny Islands…the same place as the final battle in the Keyblade War we fought over a millennia ago," Terra began. "You were chosen to this couple not only because your twin brother would become the Keyblade Master of Light, but also because you needed to be separated from him in order to achieve the prophecy in your own manner."

"It then came to pass that we took you from the nursery and placed you in the central fountain in Radiant Garden, to be found by the people there and raised by them," Aqua continued. "The one thing we did not plan for, however, was that half of your heart would be taken from you by the Heartless. Even so, it actually helped to have that done because you were taken notice of sooner by the King and Queen at the Disney Castle. By being taken in by them, you power would be nurtured and it would grow exponentially.

This also led to the third part of our plan. When Queen Minnie took you to see Master Yensid, the descendant of Master Sidney, he recognized the same power in you as in Keybearers of old. It was why he quickly agreed to help teach you as well – and also allowed us to open the portal between your universe and the Realm where we had sealed our people. When you crash landed in the Realm of the Keepers – the Keepers of the Keyblade, mind you – that was no accident. We worked through her majesty, Dowager Queen Hisako, and Madame Lirona, to make sure that you were taken in by them and taught the old ways."

"And so we waited after this. The rest of the process – the trials, tribulations, hardships, as well as making new friends, growing stronger, and building your own sense of self – that was all you. We did not further interfere in your growing up until the day that Axel came to the Disney Castle and persuaded you to join Organization XIII. The visions that you had of Sora were all your own doing – because you were twins, you were bound to know what was happening to him with some extent. Even crossing dream paths with Riku was your own doing and not ours," Ventus explained further.

An interesting thing was happening as they spoke. Although Geni had not moved her body, her wings had slowly begun to fold in upon themselves – and not bar herself from the five people standing around her. Riku gave an inward sigh of relief. _She's listening to them._

Ciréna smiled, the next to speak. "And so you journeyed within the darkness of Organization XIII while Sora defended the worlds from the Heartless. Even during his time within Castle Oblivion you and Riku continued to become friends. When he awoke after Naminé chained all of his memories back together, the first thing he did was to seek out his friends in Hollow Bastion, formerly known as Radiant Garden…your hometown. It was also this point when you two first met, and when Sora decided that no matter what he would save your heart at all costs.

He did, too. Although weakened by only having half of a heart, you were strong for your family and friends. This included the short while when you came back to the Realm to be tested to see if you would be royal material. That is the next time we intervened; we set up the last match to be between Keldar and yourself because we knew that the two of you who although did not like each other much would put the welfare of everyone you knew ahead of your own. It was also because Keldar was high nobility while you were for the common people as well."

"And that was the last and final time we interfered in _your_ life. The rest of the choices were yours to make as you saw fit. You decided to not tell your family and friends about your alternate life in the Realm, as well as your status as a Crown Princess. When King Mickey wanted to find out about the prophecy, we led him to it, and the idea that the Realm of the Keepers was the place to look for it. When he came to collect all of you to go there, with you staying behind because you apparently had _no_ Keyblade, that was of your own doing – including following them soon after. The match to the death, the party, the ceremony, the murder of Queen Hisako, your escape to the sky pirate clans, trading yourself so Kairi could go free, taking lead of the sky pirates of Bhujerba and all southern clans to mount an attack on the capital…that was all of your own doing. You made those decisions, and you made them well," Terra finished.

"Genevieve. Foster daughter of King Mickey and Queen Minnie of the Disney Castle. Resident of Radiant Garden. Daughter of the Akeno family of the Destiny Islands. Crown Princess of the Keepers of the Realm. Sister to the Keyblade Master of Light. Keyblade Master of Death. You are all those things and much, _much_ more," Ventus stated. "You are kind and caring to a fault. You take the burdens of the universe upon your own shoulders. You rejected your own destiny to save not one, but two universes. You have two families, innumerable friends, and two young men so close to you that they would give their own _lives_ just to save yours. One would think with all of the emotions running through you at this very moment in time, it would be proof that you have an existence totally your own."

The four Keyblade Masters who divided the universe knelt down around the young girl, each placing a hand upon her before speaking as one. "Although we interfered in your life to make sure the prophecy came to fruition that would save the universe, you – Genevieve Akeno – are totally, completely _human_."

It was then Geni showed her first emotion from the entire time they had been in her mind. She burst into tears, crying silently as Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and Ciréna allowed their true intentions and feelings to flow into her without any barriers. "I-I'm human," she cried out softly, covering her face with her hands.

"Yes, young Keybearer, you are," Aqua told her with a smile. "As we all are."

Leaving her be, the four of them stood up and looked at Riku. "Thank you," he said in a grateful voice as he looked at each of them in turn. "I know what you did was difficult, and I know what you did put many of us through heartache and pain. But if it had not been for all of you, I would never have met her in the first place. So thank you for interfering, and thank you for saving her."

Terra, Ventus, Aqua, and Ciréna began to glow softly as their beings started to evaporate into balls of light that rose up to the sky to disappear. "No, thank _you_ Riku, Keyblade Master of Darkness. Thank you for showing her the true meaning of darkness." And with that, the four of them faded away within Geni's mind. As they did, the sky cleared and the sun began to shine all around them.

Slowly Riku knelt down next to Geni. She was still crying, but they were tears of relief rather than distress. "Geni?" he asked softly, reaching out towards her.

"Riku!" she cried, diving into his chest and burying her face within his shirt.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her heard. "Welcome back," he whispered, closing his eyes as the field disappeared around them.

"So you four – Riku, Genevieve, Kairi, and yourself – are the reincarnations of the four Keyblade Masters who created the Realm of the Keepers and sealed the Keyblade away from the rest of the universe?" Keldar reiterated slowly.

"Exactly!" Sora nodded. "Roxas, my Nobody, looked exactly like Ventus."

"And Geni's Nobody, Ciréna, looked and was called the exact same thing as well!" Kairi added. "They showed us –"

An enormous gust of wind interrupted them, making the group shield their faces and cover themselves. It made the sound of several trains rushing by them, before everything turned silent once more. "What was th-look, the storm is gone!" King Mickey cried out in happiness.

Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Balthier, Fran, King Mickey, and the four Viera warriors who accompanied them turned around in awe. The storm that had seemed like in would consume them had suddenly disappeared, leaving the green grassy field intact. Although the night sky above them had seemed black and imposing before, one by one small lights began to twinkle like stars once more.

"If the storm is gone…" Sora began.

"Then where are Genevieve and your friend Riku?" Keldar finished.

"Wait…look!" Kairi shouted, suddenly waving her hands all around her.

In the distance, and slowly becoming clearer, someone was walking towards them. They were walking slowly but never faltering. As they came within several hundred feet of the group, a bright light suddenly lit the entire area. A full moon had come out suddenly from within the darkness of the center of the Temple of Origins to illuminate their footsteps.

Riku smiled back at them, before looking back at the sleeping girl he carried on his back. He shifted her legs with his arms; her arms, on the other hand, were looped around his neck for balance. Her face was pale, and her wounds many. And although she was unconscious, she was alive and _definitely_ human.


	42. Goodbye Forever

Chapter 41

It had been three days since the incident at the Temple of Origins.

During the fight with Donovan at the Temple of Origins, Vaan and Penelo as well as the rest of the sky pirates had been successful in liberating the people within the holding cells. As previously thought, all of them had been supporters of Geni – those who had sided with the belief that her actions as of late had been lies, rumors, and falsities. Once released, a tidal wave of confusion spread throughout the masses. Some said the Crown Princess had murdered the Dowager Queen in order to usurp her rule upon the throne. Others said it had been Donovan who had plotted his revenge against her all along for taking away his one chance at true power when the King had died.

One thing that had been certain was that the Imperial Council had been corrupted. Those who had followed Keldar's father – those who had murdered their once comrades in cold blood, those who had sided with Donovan – were arrested and were awaiting trial and sentencing. Although many people agreed with their cause, not as many agreed with their actions. Those who had done the deed agreed, of course, and kept their silence in agreement to that fact.

It had taken only one night to free the prisoners, but the entire next day to relay the information received from Fran and Balthier's group – especially to the fact that Crown Prince Keldar was indeed alive and knew the truth behind Donovan's scheming. Slowly the resistance of Guards dwindled to a small number that still believed the lies fed to them. Those Guards were quickly taken care of and put in the holding cells in which they had placed innocent people only days beforehand.

The evening of that day, an announcement was spread across the Realm of the Keepers, especially to the citizens within the capital. Keldar stood tall and proud, wearing nothing but a plain uniform and his sword at his side. It was in this way that he told his fiancée's story: at least, from her lifetime within the Realm. He told them about how Donovan had planned Dowager Queen Hisako's murder for the span of time that Genevieve's family had been visiting the Realm. How he had brainwashed the Imperial Council as well as many Guards and the people into believing that she was a cold-hearted murderer that only wanted power for herself. How he had fooled them all into believing that his intentions were pure, that he only wanted to protect his subjects.

How wrong he was. Many had seen Genevieve's disappearance as an act of a desperate traitor, but Keldar explained how she had made the difficult trek through the wilderness of forests and mountains in order to reach her other subjects: the sky pirates of Bhujerba and the southern sky pirate clans. She enlisted their help, as well as the help of the Viera, in bringing back an invasion force to crumble Donovan's illusion of lies. He also, with a heavy weight to his voice, told the people of how he had doubted her and her actions – almost to the very end. However, it was in the end that she sacrificed herself to protect everything that she held near and dear to her heart – not only them, but their universe and their neighboring universe as well.

Once the people understood the truth behind the actions of all parties, they came to the realization of what fools they must have been to be deceived by such easy lies. Others came forward with "I-told-you-so's," yet most were humble enough to be satisfied with the fact that they had been right all along.

In this spirit of understanding, the rebuilding of the capital and the mourning of Dowager Queen Hisako began and continued. During the last week or so of the flight for life, Hisako and Lirona had been buried with full honors due to their stations. Massive funerary processions had been held for both, and the first month of official mourning was still in progress. All people wore black and draped their homes and the streets in the same color, mourning for the sudden loss. When the Healers would deem Geni fit to walk on her own two feet once more, she would be allowed to visit their graves and give remembrance to honor them.

However, these things did not compare with the two most important tasks of all: what to do with the remaining members of the Imperial Council, and the decision of who would rule the Realm of the Keepers. It was at this task that Keldar and Geni found themselves at now. Sitting in the amphitheatre and surrounded by thousands of people, the fifty-nine remaining members of the one hundred member Imperial Council waited for sentencing. They stood, row after row, before the dais that Queen Hisako had once commanded Riku and Geni to fight from.

However, instead of one throne, there were now two. In those two seats sat Keldar and Geni wearing their royal crowns, acting the part as the leaders of their world rather than being it for the moment. On each side of them stood one person – one Keldar's left stood the advisor with the red sash, and on Geni's right stood the woman with the blue sash. They were the same advisors to Dowager Queen Hisako, the same two who had witnessed and commented on the fight between Geni and Riku several weeks ago.

It was completely silent within the amphitheatre. Thousands of people, as many as the capacity could allow, sat watching the proceedings in silence. Balthier, Fran, Penelo, and Vaan sat in a group to Keldar's left, while King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Kairi, and Riku sat in a group to Geni's right. As Geni and Keldar spoke to each of the members of the Imperial Council in turn, they sat wondering what would happen to them in the end. They had killed in cold blood, murdered their friends and peers. Although for a good purpose, death could only equal death.

After the fifty-ninth member had taken her turn, Keldar and Geni turned towards each other, whispering softly their judgment. It was silent, save for the nervous whispers of those watching the proceedings. Even Sora had his doubts. "What are they going to do with them do you think?" he whispered to Riku.

The silvered one shook his head. "I have no idea," he replied back in an equally quiet whisper. "I don't know the rules and laws are here very well, but I don't think it would be anything…they could not _undo_ in the end."

"My sentiments exactly," King Mickey added to their conversation. "This world seems too experienced and knowledgeable for that."

"Will they get thrown into those holding cells, like the others had been?" Kairi asked softly.

"Maybe," Sora said with a shrug. It was at that moment that the whispers suddenly hushed. Sora looked up to see that both Geni and Keldar had stood up, one adviser on each side of them.

Both spoke at once. "We have come to a decision," Geni and Keldar both announced. One could hear a pin drop from miles away. "We have decided…that the fifty-nine will be stripped of all political rank and will never be able to hold any kind of office forevermore. Furthermore, for the next ten years all fifty-nine must work and dedicate themselves to the Academia and the Defense Assembly in order to educate the soon-to-be newly elected members of the Imperial Council. And…" they continued, "each must also during this ten year period take up one minor role in one of the many trades available within the lower classes which they will work at each and every day – as any other commoner would. We have spoken."

An explosion of talk and chatter filled the entire amphitheatre as the figureheads sat back down in their chairs. As well, each of the fifty-nine ex-members of the Imperial Council could only look around in confusion. That was, until several members quickly bowed down to their knees, calling out their thanks in hoarse voices.

"Well done – very ingenious," King Mickey said, smiling.

"That was…not a very difficult sentence…was it?" Sora questioned himself.

"No," Riku said, shaking his head. "Although they lost their rank and position with the council, none of them lost anything personal. They even gave them jobs in the Academia and Defense Assembly, and are allowing them to teach the future council members and to have them learn from their mistakes. For that matter, they can also continue to make a living – although having them work menial labor seems to be the harshest part of their sentence."

"I suppose they have to be chastised somehow," Kairi laughed.

Geni smiled to herself up on the dais. "Do you think that was harsh enough?" she said with a glint in her eye to the three people around her.

"Some would say no…" the man on Keldar's left began to say.

"However, we both think that was the right direction for their sentencing. Having their positions of authority taken away was an insult enough, but having them work menial labor? A stroke of genius, I believe," the woman supplied.

"And there is shortage of help needed, as always," Keldar added. "We made the right decision."

"However…" the man cut in brusquely. "There is still the matter of –"

"Who will rule," Geni finished in a quiet voice. The three of them looked at her in silence, waiting for her to continue. "I do not even know if I am fit enough to rule, let alone able to. For that matter, having to leave my friends and family behind for the rest of my life? I…I just do not know," she sighed.

"Then you must decide quickly, for your time has come to an end," both the man and the woman suddenly said at the same time as they suddenly both emitted a bright, blinding, white light from their bodies which engulfed everything around them.

"Nevi…Ge…Vieve…Gen…Genevieve, wake up!"

Slowly pale eyelids blinked open, revealing exhausted blue orbs beneath them. "Fr-Fran?" she choked out, before erupting into a fit of coughing. Her chest burned as she gasped to try to bring enough air into her lungs.

"Good. You yet live," Fran answered in a rough but content voice.

"Wh-what hap…?" Geni tried to say, but was interrupted by a container to her lips.

"Wait – drink this. It will help. Balthier, Sora, where are those bandages?" she called over her shoulder as she helped the girl drink down a disgusting tasting potion. "Kairi, how's Riku?"

"Better!" she heard the redhead call. More coughing in the background. "I think the darkness is almost gone – it's still flowing out from him!"

"You as well," Fran said, taking the liquid from her as she tried to swallow. "Good girl. You have given us all quite a fright, you know – coming back here practically dead."

"But –"

"But nothing – save your strength and your speech. We have called for reinforcements."

It was difficult to process what was going on around her. Besides the fact that her body was screaming in protest at her, as well as the muddled movement her eyes could see and the shouts of everyone around her, she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "Hisako…Lirona…graves…bright light," she mumbled, closing her eyes once more as she fell limp in Fran's arms.

"Damn it, not again!" Balthier snapped as he and Sora appeared next to the two women.

"What do you need us to do Fran?" Sora asked her in a surprisingly serious tone of voice. When he had first seen her, when Riku came stumbling back from the midst of the storm, it had been took dark to see anything. In the light, he barely kept his lunch down.

Her left arm had been shattered, as well as her left leg – Donovan had used a spell that surrounded her with rock and crushed her between two enormous slabs of it. She had only narrowly escaped; while the right side of her body had made it out, her left was not so lucky. To continue on, her skull had been cracked on the right side, the fingers in her right hand broken after being stepped on and trampled, and finally deep cuts that severed muscle and tendon all over her body. She had lost an extreme amount of blood as well – it would have been much worse if not for Fran's quick thinking when Riku arrived with her.

"Start with her legs. Bandage any open wounds – watch for her blood! We need to stop the bleeding otherwise she will hemorrhage to death. Those bandages are infused with clotting spells, which will seal her wounds off."

"Right." Sora took a roll and started on her right leg, while Balthier took her left…well, what was left of it.

Fran laid her down gently on the ground once more, holding her hands over her as she chanted long and complex spells on healing. Her heartbeat was slow and unstable, but still there; her breathing harsh and ragged, but clear.

"Kairi…how's…?" Riku mumbled from his prostate position not far away.

The redhead looked over to the three people working furiously. "Still alive," she told him quietly, picking up his hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Now keep still and quiet while Fran's spells finish working."

He winced as another portion of darkness was drained from his body. "I will," he murmured. Although he and Geni both had control over the darkness, because they had spent so much time within the untainted and pure black substance it had permeated their beings to the point that their skin had turned several shades towards gray and their life forces had been weakened considerably. After they had stumbled towards safety Fran and the other Viera had begun setting cleansing spells on the both of them. At first Riku did not know how bad their condition_ really_ was. However, from the very real and very true pain he was feeling at the moment, it must have been worse than he thought.

"I wish we could see better," Kairi murmured to him as she looked around. "It's still so dark here."

"It could be worse," Keldar piped up from the pillar he was currently leaning against.

They had not moved from the terrace from where they had first encountered the vast meadow which Riku and Geni had both emerged from not fifteen minutes earlier. Although the lamps around them cast a pale glow, it was not the bright light of sunshine that the morning usually brought.

Riku smiled, before wincing once more as a sharp pain embedded itself in his right leg. "We'll be out of here soon enough Kairi. Don't worry."

Bright blue eyes looked down at him, then over to Keldar, still filled with that same worry. "I hope you are right," she replied with a nod, before resuming her gaze towards the huddled group behind her.

King Mickey paced frantically outside of the Temple of Origins, every so often looking into the deep hued sky. "Where are they?" he said as he ground his teeth. "We sent that distress signal over ten minutes ago now."

"A-hyuk, your majesty – they're probably on their way right now," Goofy reassured his monarch.

Donald quacked quietly to himself, watching the small mouse king turn the grass to dirt with his pacing. All three of them were obviously worried; however, King Mickey's decorum usually failed him when it came to his foster daughter. Sweat shone on his brow, one of a few indications of the battle he had just fought. "King Mickey –" Donald began.

"What?" he snapped, turning to face the duck.

Donald narrowed his brow. "Your majesty. _Sit down_."

King Mickey stood there defiantly for a moment longer, before slumping his shoulders and walking over to the steps on which Goofy and Donald were sitting. "Sorry fellas," he told them quietly.

Goofy patted him on his shoulder. "No problem King Mickey. We all understand how you're feeling."

"Do you think…she will be alright?" he continued softly.

A slight breeze tickled Donald's feathers, causing him to look up. "She will be now," he said with a smile, standing up and waving.

The lights of an enormous airship suddenly brought the entire area into a white glow. "Ahoy!" Vaan shouted down through the outside speakers. "Need some assistance?"

Inside of the Temple, Balthier and Sora had finished bandaging all of Geni's visible wounds. Fran was still intensely at work, sweat forming at her brow as she continued to bathe her with a green light. Said girl was still unconscious, but surely and slowly the pale pallor was being replaced with a bit healthier pink.

"She's looking better," Balthier said softly as he placed a reassuring hand on Fran's shoulder, lending her a bit of his strength in the process.

"That she is," Fran assented, taking a moment to wipe her furrowed brow with the back of her arm. "However, her physical injuries are the least of my worries at this moment."

Balthier raised an eyebrow at her, darting a quick glance over towards Sora as he watched him watch Fran attentively. "Sora, could you go and grab a bottle of water from the pack King Mickey left here?"

"Sure." He quickly jumped up and dashed over to where Riku and Kairi were currently sitting.

"Now what did you mean by that?" Balthier asked her quickly.

"Balthier…I am very sure that Genevieve _killed_ Donovan," she murmured.

The sky pirate was silent. "Then you're referring to more of the mental and emotional consequences, rather than physical."

"She has always been a fast healer," Fran confirmed.

"Got the water Balthier!" Sora said quite loudly, running back and skidding next to them. He held it out to him.

"Thanks Sora," he told him. "Hold up a moment Fran."

The pale green light faded, and Fran fell back onto her hands, taking in a deep breath. "She is out of harm's way…for the moment," she told the both of them as Balthier switched places with her. Carefully he placed his knee under her back, lifting her up and attempted to trickle some water into her slightly open mouth. Most of it spilled over the sides, but after a moment she began swallowing little bits of it.

"Good girl," Balthier murmured gently to her. "Nice and slow." After another minute, he took the bottle from her and carefully laid her back on the ground. He tossed the bottle to Fran, who gratefully opened it and took several sips herself. "Now, Sora – how are you with magic?"

"Not very," he admitted, "beyond basic elemental spells. Why?"

"Well, I _was_ going to have you assist Fran, however…" his sentence trailed off as he slowly looked over his shoulder. "Did you hear that?" he asked them.

"Hear what?" Sora replied, looking around them.

"Like…thunder…" he said as his voice diminished.

Fran sat up, her ears quivering. "I hear it too. The distant sound of many feet."

Sora shot up. "The reinforcements! King Mickey is back!" he shouted out happily as he turned and began heading towards Riku and Kairi.

"They are –?" Kairi began, before Balthier hushed them with a wave of his hand.

"No. Not from that hallway. From…out there." Fran, Balthier, Sora, Kairi, and Riku turned towards the open meadow, which was still covered half-light cast from the stars and full moon high above them.

Fran stood slowly, her keen red eyes scanning for movement. At first, nothing. But within several seconds she could make out the distinct form of something extremely large heading directly for them.

"Balthier…get Genevieve. Now."

"Right-o." He carefully bent down and scooped up the injured girl, cradling her carefully within his strong arms.

"Riku, get up. Sora, stay with him. Kairi, go assist Keldar. Move slowly towards the hall without making a sound."

The thunder was clearly audible now. Riku as well now felt some kind of presence approaching them at a breakneck speed from within the darkness. Even so, he could not decipher their true cause, be it for good or evil.

In the distance the single shape suddenly turned into many enormous shapes, all tall and almost circular – at least, from the frontal perspective. Their dozens of legs pounded the earth, as fast as any ship, as they closed the distance between themselves and the wary group in less than a minute.

Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Keldar were almost at the doorframe when Keldar stopped them. "Wait…I don't believe those are enemies," he suddenly told them, halting Kairi. He pushed her away, lopsidedly making his way forward back from where they had come.

"Keldar, get back here!" Balthier hissed. "We don't know _what_ those things are!"

"He is correct, young prince. Please return to us," Fran added. _Strange_, she thought to herself_, what can he sense that I cannot?_

"Balthier, bring Genevieve back here," he suddenly commanded. "Now. Hurry."

"But –" he looked to Fran for help.

"Do as he says," she told him, shaking her head.

The debonair sky pirate walked forward. "Let her stand – I can support her," he told Balthier.

"I'm not happy with this" is the kind of look Balthier gave Keldar, but carefully lowered the injured girl into a standing position while leaning her up against Keldar.

"Go back and stand with Fran," he finished, turning towards the creatures that were almost upon them at this point. "Hurry."

Fran's eyes suddenly widened as she realized what was about to meet them. "…Get back! Get back!" she shouted, shooing Balthier and the others along with her into the entrance of the hallway.

"Fran, what…oh, you have _got_ to be joking with me," Balthier swore. "Are those what I think they are?"

The thunder quieted as the towering creatures stopped before the royals, standing as still as statues. "Wait…from the Queen's story…" Kairi murmured in astonishment.

"Precisely…the Nohlmul's," Fran finished for her, her ears trembling in anticipation.

It was at this moment Geni decided to grace everyone with a bit of consciousness. "Mmm…Keldar?" she said, stumbling over her words yet.

_Crown Prince._

_Crown Princess._

_He is gone._

The short, choppy sentences rang clear in everyone's mind. Keldar spoke for them. "If by _he_ you are referring to Donovan, the traitor and murderer of your queen and our King, then yes, you are correct."

The towering black bugs that surrounded the terrace had no eyes to see, yet all felt steely gazes upon them. Their shiny black shells glistened and reflected what little light there was, causing a mirror reflection with the stars and moon above them.

_He is dead._

_Who killed him?_

_Let her speak._

"Crown Princess Genevieve killed him," Keldar quickly informed them.

_Let her speak_.

The command was repeated. Keldar gently nudged Geni, forcing her blurred gaze in front of her. "Genevieve, tell them what happened."

Her gaze slowly turned upwards, looking into the beings of pure darkness that stood in front of her…beings which had not been seen for over one hundred years. "I…fought with…him," she managed to stutter. "I…k…kil…I kil…" she stumbled, unable to finish the sentence with the sudden onrush of tears to her eyes. _What have I done?_ she thought to herself.

_No blame lies with you._

_You did not do the deed._

_It was the other inside you._

_She did it._

All the voices were speaking at one time in their heads, and it was difficult to tell which Nohlmul was speaking at which time, or what they were referring to. "I…I don't…" Geni began.

_Your reincarnation._

_The girl who looks like yourself._

_She did it._

_The other three, reunited, with the fourth._

_At last._

"Wait…so does that mean Círena did it?" Keldar asked them, pulling Geni back up as she began to slide down towards the ground.

_Her heart is still pure._

_We saw._

_It was not her._

_Our decision is approved._

"Wait…what…?" Keldar began, but just as Geni lost consciousness one last time, darkness covered the entire group. It was the last thing they witnessed or remembered before it covered their vision and oblivion claimed them all.

~:~:~

"They were huge!" Sora exclaimed in a loud voice. "At least the size of a small house, maybe bigger!"

Several laughs and exclamations accompanied his story, as silverware clinked and cups were toasted with. It was a great feast, for all of the capital to share in.

This time, it was no dream. Three days had passed, and in successive order, Vaan and Penelo and the rest of the sky pirates had freed all of the prisoners and reclaimed the capital city. It was well past dawn the next day when they had; by that time, no news of any sort had come from the _Strahl_. It was at that moment when the distress signal from King Mickey came, requiring emergency medical attention to the Temple of Origins.

The reinforcements had quickly rushed to the yagd over the temple, where it is a no flying zone for any sky ships, and landed next to the _Strahl_ and had run the rest of the way to the temple. Upon finding Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey waiting for them, they quickly entered the temple and retraced their steps back through the first hall where all of the empty armor from the darkness controlled Guards lay strewn about.

From there, they continued down the massively long hallway until…they came upon what they thought was a horrendous scene. All six humans and one Viera lay in various positions on the terrace, all in a comatose state. Nothing would rouse them: smelling salts, magic, or several slaps to the face. The support group, fearing the worst, thought all of them to be near death or dead.

Even so, all seven were taken upon stretchers to the Healer's Pavilion within the capital to receive medical treatment. King Mickey never once left Geni's side, while Goofy and Donald stayed close to Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

One day passed.

Then two.

Slowly, one by one, they began to awaken. Kairi was the first, followed soon by Sora and Riku. Strangely enough, none of them could remember what exactly had transpired. They could remember some kind of large black creatures coming upon them from within the center of the temple, but everything after that was blank.

They waited patiently within the Healer's Pavilion for the rest of their comrades to awaken. Later that day, Balthier awoke; several hours after him, Fran. They were slightly better able to answer the questions thrown at them. The creatures, the Nohlmul, were creatures of pure darkness – born within it and never left it. If they were to take even one step out into the light of day, they would turn to ash. However, all those waiting for them were surprised to hear of this – didn't the Nohlmul live underground?

Close watch was kept on Keldar and Geni as the second day ended. Neither showed any sign of awakening, yet both seemed to be in perfectly healthy condition besides their physical injuries. In fact, Geni's current injuries seemed to be healing three times as quickly as they had normally been used to. Her bones were rejoining themselves together, torn muscles stitching together.

At last, within minutes of each other that evening, Keldar and Geni awoke. Both were confused and disoriented at first, as the rest had been. However, the biggest difference was that as soon as they had awoken, strange occurrences began to happen around them.

Keldar, who had had an affinity for fire elemental magic, suddenly began to heat up and expand any source of heat around him. The first such example was when a Healer served him a cup of tea; he brought it to his lips to drink but suddenly dropped it out of his hands. He had burned his fingers on the ceramic cup. The tea inside had suddenly began boiling in his bare hands.

Geni, on the other hand, who had an affinity for water elemental magic, had a dual reaction: besides any source of open water (nothing within a person's body thankfully) suddenly took on a life of its own as small geysers and fountains, her affinity for healing magic doubled its potency. Although before this strange event she could heal others at a breakneck speed, her own personal injuries would heal only slightly faster than others unless supplemented. Now, her own giving and receiving powers of healing had healed all of her small injuries and were well on their way to healing her larger broken bones and torn muscles as well.

Both of them also were able to shed more light on what exactly had happened before they all lost consciousness – or, at least, what they were _allowed_ to tell. The Nohlmul are creatures of the darkness, and while the Temple of Origins housed the original power that had created their realm, it was only half of what had been responsible for that decision to instate them as the co-rulers over the Realm of the Keepers.

Yes, Keldar and Genevieve had been chosen as King and Queen…it was now official. For you see, the light _and_ the darkness had to choose them – Keldar represented the light, while Geni represented the darkness. It was also the reason why after the dreadful war many years ago that many of the Nohlmul went into hiding, to prevent their species from being completely wiped out and unable to fulfill their duty as guardians of the future royalty.

The events that had transpired over the end of the previous monarchs and the events that had ushered in the new era of monarchy had left a scar upon the hearts and minds of the people in the Realm and those who had been visiting it. The murders of Dowager Queen Hisako and Madame Lirona had stained Geni's name; however, once she and Keldar were able to leave the Healer's Pavilion with minimal supervision they had both gone before the populace at a great assembly and presented the incriminating evidence Lirona had instilled into it. Upon seeing the actual events of that evening, her name was cleared as well as her family and friends from the outside universe. Once they were, those survivors from the Imperial Council massacre – those who had done the killing – were brought forth for their sentencing from the newly cleared monarchs. Geni, upon remembering her dream, sought guidance from Keldar as well as the two advisors to the monarchy.

One man and one woman, one from the militaristic branch of the Academia and the Defense Assembly, one from the art and healing branches of the Academia and Healer's Pavilion. Both had the science and history backgrounds required as well, but both covered those evenly. In knowing many of these things, they were the perfect advisers to their majesties. Both had also been present with Dowager Queen Hisako at past events such as the trail Riku had overcome, as well as the separation ceremony. The man's name was Zephyr, the woman's Allandra.

As she finished, Geni heaved a great sigh. "And so that is what I propose that we do," she said to the three of them.

Allandra was the first to speak. "I can see that you have put great thought into this, your highness. I do not object."

Zephyr shook his head. "Nor do I. Your highness?" he replied, turning to Keldar.

Keldar was mute momentarily, before replying. "I think it is a good idea, except that it will be more work for the two of us to continually check in on their situations to make sure they are conforming to our decision."

Geni smiled. "I think they will. Better than 'off with their heads,' right?"

"True." Keldar chuckled softly.

Nodding, the two of them stood together and the amphitheatre quieted, like in her dream. As they spoke, it was reliving her actions all over again…but this time, Geni was prepared for what was coming next. At least, she _thought_ she had prepared herself for it.

As they spoke the words from her memory, events proceeded exactly as they had been foretold in her vision. There was a great applause and uproar, many of the men and women folding to their knees in gratitude. She heard Sora, King Mickey, and the others discussing their course of action.

"Do you think that was harsh enough?" she asked the three people around her.

"Some would say no…" Zephyr began to say.

"However, we both think that was the right direction for their sentencing. Having their positions of authority taken away was an insult enough, but having them work menial labor? A stroke of genius, I believe," Allandra supplied.

"And there is the shortage of help needed, as always," Keldar added. "We made the right decision."

"However…" Zephyr cut in brusquely. "There is still the matter of –"

"Who will rule," Geni finished in a quiet voice.

Zephyr and Allandra looked at each other momentarily, before nodding. "Yes, your highnesses. You have the blessing of the powers of light and darkness now. The last step is for you yourselves to agree to this."

"You may refuse," Allandra said in a soft voice, "but it will be a long a difficult process to find a new royal pair to lead the Realm."

"I am ready," Keldar confirmed, but looked at Geni, who was currently studying the hem upon her uniform. They had donned their previous uniforms when the truth had been revealed, so they looked like a part of the populace once more.

"It is not that I am afraid, frightened, or unsure of myself anymore," Geni commented, looking upwards and out into the faces of thousands upon thousands of people who were rejoicing at the benevolence she and Keldar had just shown. "…I am just sorry that I could not be in two universes at once."

Her confirmation sealed the deal. "Yes, _your majesty_…we understand," both Allandra and Zephyr said at once. Bowing their heads, they stepped forward in front of the dais and held up their arms for silence.

A hush fell over the populace. Sora and Riku's conversation about political correctness over jobs of menial labor was halted midsentence, as was Penelo and Fran's conversation over advanced healing techniques in the capital. They, of course, had some kind of inkling as to what was about to happen – unlike the strangers to the Realm, who had no idea what to expect.

"People of the Realm of the Keepers, and honored guests," they spoke, their voices magically amplified. "We stand at a crossroads. Behind us, we mourn the death and loss of our loved ones, as well as the peaceful stability we have enjoyed. In front of us, there are several futures that await us. It is now time to choose one of those futures, and those who will lead us into it." They turned as one, and beckoned towards Keldar and Geni.

Each of them stood up, Geni a little wobbly yet, but stable. They took several steps forward until they stood between Zephyr and Allandra. "Kneel," they commanded. Geni and Keldar both knelt on the carpeted dais, their heads held high.

"Wait…what's going on?" Sora whispered loudly to King Mickey. "What is all this talk about the 'future'?"

"It's time," King Mickey replied with a calm face. "And she's decided." Inwardly, King Mickey was both happy and unhappy at the turn of events.

"Decided? Decided to do what? Stay here?" Sora gaped. "But why didn't –"

"Because she knew we would try and persuade her otherwise," Riku said, crossing his arms. "This is her way of forcing her own hand into a decision."

However, Riku's thoughts deceived him. _Why? Why didn't she say anything? Sure I would have tried to dissuade her, but if this was something she really wanted to do…_ His eyes dulled slightly, the betrayal evident on his face.

Sora saw this, but for once remained silent. _Why would she do this to Riku? Especially after all that they've been through?_

Zephyr motioned to two people who had been waiting patiently and quietly behind the dais. Now they stepped forward; Elwen and Itsuki, both friends of Geni and Keldar, bore several items in their arms. If one could see closely enough, it was a matching pair of the crown jewels with the violet stones – the highest level of power either of them could attain. Elwen came and stood next to Allandra, while Itsuki stood by Zephyr. Slowly, each one of them took an item off of the pile and began to ornament the two teens.

First, a silver band with a single jewel was placed on their upper right arms. Second, a signet ring with an engraved carving upon an amethyst was placed upon their ring fingers. Thirdly, their red and blue sashes were removed, and in their place tied in the exact same way were sashes of the deepest violet hue trimmed with a lighter shade of it. Around their shoulders next were robes trimmed in fur, elegant and ornate yet simple in style. And, for the finishing touch…Allandra picked up a delicate crown wreathed in leafy vines, a large oval shaped stone adorning the center; Zephyr, a sturdy crown studded with gems in a humbling pattern that did not overbear the polished silver.

With these, they stood on each side of the crowned prince and princess, the sparkling silver circlets glinting in the sunlight. As they slowly placed the crowns on each of their heads respectively, they said aloud, "His Majesty, King Keldar, and Her Majesty, Queen Genevieve, the thirty-second monarchs of the Realm of the Keepers!"

An enormous eruption of cheers and applause sounded from within the amphitheatre. Slowly Geni and Keldar rose, the weight of their new positions as well as the cloaks they were wearing – were both wearing them down. However, who could feel sad at a time like this?

Geni could. And as she slowly turned her head towards her family and friends, she could feel the saddened looks before even seeing them.

_I am sorry…but they need me._

It is at this moment in time that the capital, as well as the rest of the Realm, is celebrating a new union of the monarchy, as well as the hopefully smoother path towards uniting the people of the Realm – all races and cultures with a bond of understanding that is now embodied in their female ruler. Geni connects those who have before misunderstood each other. The sky pirates, and their clans in the south as well as the Viera and other human-like creatures, as well as the humans to the north who live in and around the capital city. She also connects this universe with her home universe where Sora, her brother and immediate family, as well as King Mickey, her adopted father as well as adopted family, live as well. The Realm had been cut off for thousands of years, and it was high time that the people knew of their existence once more.

It was evening, and a great feast was currently underway within the palace. Sora was the one who had been exclaiming to several of Geni's peers from the Academia what the Nohlmul had looked like – since they of course had never seen one. They were enraptured by his story, hanging on his every word.

Sora was one of the only few who had pushed his feelings aside to greet openly the decision his sister had come to. It was not that they felt it was a bad decision, by any means; it was the fact that once again she had failed to confide in any of them her decision to stay behind. Well, and other reasons as well. Riku and King Mickey were probably the most hurt by her decision, although this was neither the time nor the place to discuss it. Both of them were sitting across from each other, staring into their plates and occasionally tasting the delights the Realm had to offer.

After their ordeal had finished, they had all been taken and cleaned up for the Royal Banquet in honor of the new King and Queen. Although King Mickey looked quite at home in the offered formal garb, Riku had a hard time not scratching his skin off with unease. Donald and Goofy were trying to cheer them up, while Kairi did her best to rein Sora in once in a while with his exaggerations.

At the same table were Vaan and Penelo, as well as Balthier. Fran, to her dismay, was forced by her sister Jote to go and sit with the Viera contingent at one of the spots of honor near the front dais. The table next to theirs contained several of the pig-looking Seeq's as well, who were doing their best to keep the kitchen staff busy. Although they had missed the coronation, they had come to pledge their allegiance to the fledgling royalty – Vaan and Penelo had done so earlier in lieu of the rest of the heads of the clans of sky pirates. For that, it would have taken a good hour or more to present all of them as well as their kin one by one.

Zephyr and Allandra had gone to each of the tables, one at a time, and greeted each of the guests individually for the royal pair, who were not allowed to leave the high table. Apparently it was bad luck for their reigns if they even spilled a glass of liquid or dropped food purely by accident – some kind of ancient custom that irritating Geni to no end. "You do not look very happy," Keldar commented to her finally, his eyes glancing in her direction as his ears were continually bombarded with talk.

Geni removed her hand from the arm of her chair, looking at him directly. "I am happy," she said to him with a straight face. "I would just wish the ancestral practices did not involve ornate clothing – either here _or_ in the south." She picked at the brilliant white clothing she was adorned in. "White stains so easily."

Keldar chuckled. "Is that all that is worrying you? That is what doing laundry is for Genevieve."

Geni turned away without another word, watching as Kairi pulled Sora down by his belt off of the chair as he was indicating how one of the battles was fought for all to see. Many laughed at his antics, save a few, who were either too busy involved in their food or conversation, or thought him a bit immature for his age.

"So what did they say?" Keldar interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmm?" she repeated.

"What did your family say about your decision to stay?" he repeated gently.

Geni's eye twitched. "The same thing I told you all. I am needed here much more than I am needed back there – I will miss them, but my place is here now."

Keldar nodded, although he didn't believe a word she had said.

Geni bit the inside of her cheek as she involuntarily looked towards Riku and King Mickey. They looked just as sullen as she felt, although that she could not show. Two hours ago…

_"That's fine! I do not mind if you stay here Genevieve!" King Mickey said, rolling his eyes as his tone of voice took on a tinge of irritation. "But you didn't trust us enough to include us in your decision making once again! That is why I am angry!"_

_"It was not your decision to make," Geni retorted back quickly. "These people need me now – who else is going to rebuild after this disaster? Bhujerba is still in shambles, there are ruined lives all over the Realm that need to be repaired, and there are changes to be made so this can never happen again. What was I supposed to do?"_

_"Maybe _ask_ us," Riku added finally. He had been standing behind King Mickey. "Don't you ever learn? This whole mess started because you had been lying to us. Maybe if you had just trusted us enough to tell us the whole truth, and not half truths and lies, we wouldn't be in this mess!"_

_"Mess? This isn't a mess! This is a national disaster!" she shouted back at him, curling her fingers into fists. "It will take decades to repair what has been broken, and to find what was lost. For that matter, recovering our ancestry to figure out why this all happened in the first place and to prevent it!"_

_"Genevieve, Riku," King Mickey said in a tired voice, holding up his hands between them. The two were standing so close they were towering over the small mouse king standing in the middle of the two. "What is done is done, and we must now respect everyone's wishes. Riku, Geni chose to become Queen here. Yes, Geni, _your_ subjects need you now – just as mine need me. You have chosen your destiny…which will hopefully include us in the near and distant future."_

_Geni's eyes softened. "No, of course! I would never –!"_

_"As well as yours, Riku," King Mickey added._

_"You are my mentor as well as one of my great friends – nothing will ever change that," Riku told him as he looked down smiling._

_"Then that is all there is to it. We leave tomorrow morning."_

Geni's heart sank once more, hearing the finality in King Mickey's voice. _They're leaving…forever…_ she thought to herself. Suddenly the exquisite dress felt unbearably hot. Geni stood, pushing her ornate chair away from the dais. "Leaving so soon?" Keldar asked her with a lift of his brow.

"I just need some fresh air," she explained. "It's a bit warm in here."

"Go," Keldar replied with a wave of his hand. "Things are starting to settle down around here anyway – at least, now that the wine is running out," he added with a laugh.

Geni gave a small half smile before disappearing behind a curtain behind their table. A serving girl quickly appeared. "Do you need something, your majesty?" she said with a smile and a bow.

"No thank you – I am just going outside to get some fresh air. Please attend to Keldar."

"As you wish, your majesty." The girl left just as swiftly as she had come.

Geni sighed, pulling at the tall collar. She was unused to having her neck covered, and felt peculiar without one of her familiar necklaces. Looking around, she found the door that led out to the adjacent gardens and quickly walked through it. She closed it softly behind her, and locked it just to be safe. It was not like she was hiding from anyone – she just wanted some alone time…probably for the last time.

Walking slowly, her slippers tapped softly against the paved pathways that lead between each of the flower boxes. Large trees lined this area, and as she walked around the green and blue leaves shimmered in the light of the sliver of moon visible. Geni recognized many of the varieties of plants in the area as some of the late Queen's favorites. She remembered with a fond smile how she would take a little time each day to assist the gardeners with tending them.

Circling around, she found an out of the way terrace that overlooked the bright lights of the capital far below her. It was a sea of twinkling stars that rivaled the night sky above her. There were many in the capital still up celebrating, but many who were already slumbering because duty called – that routine, at least, would never change. The predawn would come, and all workers would awaken for a new day. And this time, so would she.

Geni remembered the last time she went to bed before an exiting change of events in her life. The first had been when going to live with King Mickey and Queen Minnie at the Disney Castle. The second had been knowing she would be learning under Master Yensid as well as Madame Lirona. The third was knowing who Sora finally was. The fourth was knowing who Riku was. Probably the last time she had ever been truly anxious about the next day was when she had to go back to the Destiny Islands for what would be the very last time…to say goodbye to those she loved.

And now she would be doing it for real. This time there would be no evil villain to defeat with the help of her friends and family, no danger to overcome. It was day to day business of being a new ruler…of being a ruler with a co-ruler. Her fears had come full circle.

Geni bent her head, tears unwillingly coming to her eyes. _I never wanted this…but I always wanted this…_ she told her dual mindset. The voice that had sometimes answered her within her mind was silent…gone, was more the case. Geni had realized some time ago who had been within her thoughts, and now that she was the sole occupant of her body and soul it was strangely lonesome. Her Nobody, the soul she had been reincarnated from, was gone when she had awoken in the Healer's Pavilion. She could only assume that the strange waking dream she had experienced when Círena had taken over her body was the end result of it.

"Geni?" a hesitant voice called out to her.

She carefully stood, blinking to clear her eyes, adjusting as if she had only been viewing the scenery. "Riku? What are you doing out here?" she asked as she turned around.

He was standing at the edge of the small terrace, on the path that lead up to the one step. It was the only path to get onto the terrace, but to do so he would have had to traverse many paths in order to find the true one. He was standing tall, but his right arm had crossed to scratch his left forearm; an unsure stance. "I…I wanted to ask you something," he said finally, looking up at her.

"Yes?" Geni replied, guilt eating at her.

"Why did you choose to stay?" he asked after several long seconds.

It was silent for a long while after he spoke, as Geni contemplated his words, and hers. "Sora has become stronger, hasn't he?" she finally commented. "Kairi too."

Riku nodded, taking one step up onto the small stone terrace. "They both have."

"King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as well – ever since they came here, all I have seen them do is become stronger in many ways."

Riku watched as a gentle breeze pushed the pale blossoms from side to side all around him. The flowers around this particular terrace were not large or overly fragrant, yet they were simple and pure. They were content to exist, and nothing more. "And?" he prompted her.

"So have you."

He was slightly taken aback by her last comment. "No I haven't," he answered her honestly. "If I had gotten stronger, you would have –"

"But nothing," Geni interrupted him, giving him a sidelong glance. "All of you have grown stronger…yet I…I haven't."

"But –"

Geni held up her hand. "I have neither grown, nor matured, in who I am. I am the same person who started this journey nineteen days ago with all of you. I am still a fledgling in a nest of seasoned warriors, who knows nothing about what it is like to truly fly."

Riku stepped forward. "That isn't true. You took charge, you made decisions – the right _and_ wrong ones. You did what you had to in order to survive, as well as keep the rest of us alive. You did it to protect everyone around you. No one could have matured more than you did these past three weeks. In fact, I…I have been a bit jealous."

Geni turned around to face him. He was five steps away from her, but between them was a canyon that divided them at great lengths. She could not jump over it, walk around it, or fly over it. "Jealous?" she repeated.

"You can change the world for the better now," he began to explain. "Everyone will listen to you, and will respect you – even with the darkness that lies inside of you. It is your actions that speak the loudest, they support and respect what you believe as well. Me? I'll have to be content living my life on a small chain of isolated islands for the rest of my life while you have an entire universe that you can call your own."

"If I ever leave the capital," Geni snorted back. Riku looked at her in confusion. "The Queen never left. And if she did – it was only once every one hundred years or so." Her expression softened. "King Mickey will make sure that never happens, and you know it. And besides, as long as darkness exists in people's hearts there will be the Heartless, and there will be the need for the Keyblades."

"So we're both prisoners of fate," he said quietly.

"No, _you_ are not," Geni emphasized, taking one step forward. One step that closed that gap at least a little. "You are free to become whoever and whatever you want to be." One more step. "I want you to be happy Riku, no matter what it takes. I want to see you smile again for me. I want to know that you will create a future for yourself like no other." She took one of his hands into hers, stroking it gently with her thumbs. "I want to make sure that you will be alright," she finished softly.

He thought about her words, as well as about her actions. She had still never really answered his question directly, but in a way she had explained herself. "I will be," he finally told her, smiling down at her. "Thank you."

"Good."

Riku leaned down, taking his hand out of hers and placing one on each of her shoulders. He bent his head lower and gently kissed her on her forehead, being wary of her delicate crown, before enveloping her into his arms in a warm hug. Geni wrapped her arms around him as well, giving him a gentle squeeze, before pushing him away. "Now, I believe it is time we should retire. There is much work to be done tomorrow, and a gummi ship to catch."

"You're right. Goodnight Geni," he told her, smiling one of his sincere smiles for her, before nodding his head and turning around. He strode off slowly back towards the palace, his figure darkening and fading away into the night. Geni waited, the mask of a smile plastered on her face until she could no longer sense his presence. She turned back towards the open air of the city as it disappeared from her face.

~:~:~

"Are you sure about this?" King Mickey asked for at least the seventh time.

"Yes I am," Geni said, a bit half-heartedly. They were standing on a launching platform, the same one that had been used at the beginning of their adventure. The gummi ship was back out and was currently being loaded with supplies, gifts, and knowledge – freely given by the Keyblade wielders of old. Many people were there to see the other-worlders off – many people whom they had befriended thanks to their mutual acquaintance.

Sora was standing with Jalen as well as some of the workers from the Nurturing. Some of them had been imprisoned after they had escaped the capital, thankfully only minor injuries sustained during that time that had already healed. At the moment Sora was shaking hands with them, saying his goodbyes and they were saying their thank you's. Donald and Goofy were overseeing the storage of several large boxes worth of information about the Heartless, Nobodies, the Keyblade War, and the Realm of the Keepers. It would all be going to Disney Castle for further investigation. Kairi and Riku were saying their own farewells to Balthier, Penelo, and Vaan. Fran had joined them with some of the Viera who had come to the capital for the first time in hundreds of years to view the coronation ceremonies as well as to thank the otherworldly Keybladers for their assistance.

Geni and King Mickey were the last, standing nearest to the gummi ship. Once it was loaded, they had to leave…and Geni was staying behind. She had made her decision. At least, King Mickey thought so.

"I still can't believe I won't ever see you again," he said, a somber tone to his voice. "What'll Minnie do? And Daisy? They'll miss you something terrible."

"I can still write to them," Geni insisted. "And they can visit once things have settled down here for a while. You as well," she added quickly.

"But it just won't be the same," King Mickey finished with a sigh. He turned to fully face his foster daughter – whom he still considered as one. "Everyone is going to miss you. You have family on three worlds, you know. And leaving without saying goodbye is going to be hard on them."

Geni smiled sadly. "There are three envelopes sitting on your seat."

"You thought ahead," he commented softly.

"Not very far though," Geni admitted. "I will miss you all."

"Then come back with us," King Mickey urged. "They can handle things without you here. Keldar will make a fine king. Besides, the dowager queen lasted a long time without another king – can't they last without their new queen?"

Geni shook her head sadly. "I've glued this land back together bit by bit. If I leave…if I leave, it will fall apart. I can't leave yet – not until I know things aren't going to dissolve underneath my feet," she explained to him.

King Mickey sighed once more. He knew Geni; she was a stubborn girl, just like her brother – she just wasn't as immature about it sometimes. In fact, she was _too_ mature at times for a girl her age. And ever since she woke up – that had been multiplied several times over. "If you want to stay, I won't stop you," he conceded. "But," he added, "a letter won't do it."

"I will call her myself. We'll figure out some way to open a stable inter-dimensional portal for communication," she promised him. Bending over, she took his hand in hers. "Thank you, King Mickey," she told him with a smile.

"Take care of yourself, my dear," he told her sincerely. "I'm going to miss you."

"We'll see each other again," Geni told him.

"A-hyuk! We're all set to take off!" Goofy suddenly shouted to all of the people in the near vicinity. He and Donald were thanking the people who had assisted them in loading the gummi ship; several people were walking down the gangplank as he shouted his message.

King Mickey and Geni looked up at the same time. "It's time to go," she told him gently.

"Come, say goodbye," he instructed her…for what was probably the last time.

Geni nodded, walking hand in hand with him over to the gangplank of the Kingdom model of gummi ship. She looked at it fondly, remembering how this tiny craft had taken her so far so loyally. Donald and Goofy were waiting for her. As usual, Goofy had his large eyes already brimming with unshed tears.

"Goofy, don't cry," she admonished him and she and King Mickey joined them at the bottom of the gangplank.

"But were never gonna see you again!" he wailed pitifully as he launched himself at her.

"Goofy, you have to keep a stiff upper lip," Donald quacked at him, but his scold lacked no bite. His bill was quivering as he spoke as well.

"Oh Donald," Geni said, opening her other arm to him. The duck ran into her arms, and she spent a moment with the two of them crushing her. "I'll see you again." This started in a fresh wave of sobs from the anthropomorphic duck and dog, and Geni could only shake her head at the two of them.

"Now fellers, don't make this twice as hard for all of us," King Mickey finally said, tapping each of them in turn to grab their attention. "We'll figure out a way to make this easier somehow. Although she can't visit us, we can always come back and visit you know."

"Hey, that's right!" Goofy suddenly said, brightening his expression. He pushed himself away and gave her a beaming smile. "We'll be back to visit you before you know it!"

"Of course!" Donald said, whipping his face around, pretending that the last moment had never happened.

Geni smiled at the two of them. "Definitely. Get everyone back safely, alright? I'm counting on you."

"We will, a-hyuk," Goofy told her. "Take care of yourself." He wiped his eye. "You've grown up so much so fast."

"Hey, isn't that what I'm supposed to say?" King Mickey muttered from behind them.

"Sorry your majesty," they both said at once, backing away like scolded children. All of them said their final goodbye and began to board the ship. It was at that moment Kairi, Sora, and Riku walked over, with Keldar, Penelo, Vaan, Balthier, and Fran trailing slightly behind them.

"I expected that," Sora sighed. He looked at his sister, regal in her royal clothes – pure white, not tan like he was used to seeing. But even that though – of what he was _used_ to seeing her wear here – was a strange thought enough. Her crown and other royal jewels shimmered in the bright sunlight, other signs of her power. Her previously unknown power, power that she had hidden for good reasons. Now, however, it was time for her to use that power to right the wrongs that had been done. He walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking directly into her eyes. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked her quietly.

Geni smiled at him, placing her own hands on his shoulders. "I will be alright Sora. It will be up to you to explain things to mom and dad."

Sora chuckled. "Well, yeah, about that…you couldn't just pop over and tell them yourself that you are the royalty in an alternate dimension and one of the most powerful beings in both universes, could you?"

She shook her head. "I can't leave Sora…you know that. Not anymore."

"The ceremony," he echoed to her thoughts. One of the last things Geni had explained to them was the importance of the ceremony she, King Mickey, and Sora had undergone before the Dowager Queen had been killed. Although everyone still felt close to her at this moment, once they left the Realm of the Keepers everyone that knew Geni would undergo a mental change. The memories of her, although still with them, would fade in intensity and clarity. Although they would still love her and remember her always, they would not feel sad, angry, or languish over the situation. It would be as if she were on an extended vacation for the rest of their mortal lives.

"I'm sorry Sora." This sudden statement jolted Sora out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw her guilty expression. "I never wanted to put any of you through this."

"Hey, hey…no worries," he told her. He placed his forehead on hers and closed his eyes.

Geni closed her eyes, feeling his presence so close to her, so familiar. Two bodies, one soul…as if one could think that way. The essence of twins. Slowly she opened her eyes, just as Sora did. Their deep ocean blue eyes bore into each other, fully understanding that they may well never see each other again. "Goodbye Sora," Geni finally said, softly. "Thank you for everything."

"Goodbye Geni…I am so glad that I found you," Sora told her. They stepped away from each other, suddenly realizing how quiet it was around them. Without embarrassment they turned toward the people who were waiting expectantly for them. Without a sound as well, Kairi came forward and embraced Geni.

"I will miss you," she told her, squeezing her gently. "We won't be able to have that next shopping trip now."

"You and Selphie will have to do it for me. Oh, and Kairi?" she added as they pulled away. "Please apologize to Selphie for me – I left without really giving her a proper goodbye."

"I will," she promised. Smiling, she stepped back and grabbed Sora's hand, walking them both up and into the ship without looking back.

At last, it was Riku's turn to say goodbye. He walked up to her, his hand scratching the side of his head. "I suppose that this is goodbye," he began.

Geni did not meet his eyes, rather looking towards the gummi ship. "I am sorry," she told him truthfully.

"For what?"

"For leading you on. I did not -"

Suddenly Geni's eyes flew open. Riku had his hands on either side of her face, and was _kissing _her fully on the lips in front of all of the people assembled to say goodbye to them. Her hands fell to her sides, completely surprised.

After a few moments, he let her go, and stared into her eyes. "You once told me that actions speak louder than words." He told her this in a steady, hushed voice. He blinked once, stood up, and walked away up into the ship.

Geni was still standing there dumbfounded when she heard the rockets of the gummi ship explode into life. She blinked and stood there with her mouth open, her hair streaming out with the force of the wind behind her. As the gummi ship took off into the air, she began to run after it, stretching her hand out towards it as if to catch it. As she lowered her arm, the gummi ship circled the area once before heading towards the portal Geni had prepared for them to leave with. The ancient symbol flashed in the sky, waiting for her signal.

A light touch to her shoulder brought her back to reality. "Let them go," Fran whispered to her. "It is the least you can do…for him."

A flash of light later and the ship was gone.


	43. Duality

Chapter 42

"Sora!" A pair of arms encircled him tightly, giving him little space to breathe. Sora's mother smothered him to her chest.

"We're so glad you're home safe!" his father added, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

"Glad to be back," he tried to say, pushing away from his mom. "I've missed you both so much."

"You've only been gone for three days," she laughed at him.

Sora chuckled, hopefully the strain in his voice not showing very much. _Three days for you maybe…but we were gone three weeks._ He looked over to see Kairi and Riku receiving the same treatment from their parents. However, he decided to try it out. "It's too bad Geni had to stay there…I may never see her again," he told his parents dejectedly.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," his mother said with a wave of her hand. "Now, I bet you're hungry. Why don't we go and get some dinner?"

"Oh…okay," he told them, quickly covering his expression with a smile. _She was right…they really don't care_.

And neither did he. Mentally, he knew that he should be feeling sad and probably angry at the turn of events that separated them, but he couldn't. It was physically impossible. Geni had been right. The ceremony that had separated her from the rest of the universe had worked – no one really cared that she was gone.

Except for one. After King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had dropped off Sora, Riku, and Kairi back on the Destiny Islands, they had shared a depressing goodbye. Sora's parents, Kairi's parents, Riku's parents, Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus had all met them on the beach as the gummi ship had landed. The sun had been setting, dying the sand and the ocean a brilliant combination of gold and crimson. They had been overjoyed to see the return of their children and friends – unharmed – that they had overwhelmed them at the first chance they got.

To them, it seemed like a lifetime ago that they had left the peaceful islands to be thrown in amidst a war of murder, retribution, and rebellion. But to everyone else it was a weekend of relaxation after the formal dance only two days beforehand. No one knew of what they had seen or witnessed, or had been forced to do – it was like the battle with the Heartless, the Nobodies, or Organization XIII all over again…some knew of it, but most did not understand it nor wanted to. It also wasn't for the group to discuss outside of their immediate family and friends either – protecting the borders of the worlds and all, you know.

Except for that one person who was still unhappy about the entire situation. As he lay upon his rooftop staring up at the stars, Riku wondered what Geni was doing at that very moment. Of course by the time he had thought the thought and hour would have passed and she would be doing something else in the Realm. And as soon as that thought would have passed so would have another hour. He may not be feeling overly depressed about the situation because he was physically unable to, but he was still sad.

"Riku?" Sora abruptly called up to him, breaking him of his train of thought.

"Up here," he called back. Suddenly a spiky head of brown hair appeared over the edge of his roof, followed by his friend in some of his other clothes.

"I never knew I would love taking a hot shower as much as I did just now," he told him with a quiet laugh.

"Three weeks of trekking through the wilderness and fighting endless battles will do that to you," Riku commented, resuming his gaze upwards as Sora sat down next to him.

"What are you thinking about, up here all by yourself?" Sora asked him. Riku gave him a pointed look. "Right, as if I have to ask that one," he said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Sorry Sora," Riku said after a moment, running a hand through his silvered locks of hair. "I didn't mean to be short with you. It's….it's just…"

"You miss her too," he finished for him in a soft voice. Riku looked over to see Sora sitting with his arms around his knees. "I can't feel her presence anymore. Before we were always connected somehow. I always knew when she was in trouble, if she was doing alright, but now…now there's nothing. I don't even know if she…" he trailed off. "It is strange though…I feel sad about it, but it doesn't really hurt either. You know?"

Riku and Sora both remained quiet after his short revelation, staring up at the stars as they remained lost in their own thoughts.

_I wonder…what the stars look like over there…_ Riku thought to himself. The glittering view high above him shone like little pinpricks of light with a large river of them running through the middle. He thought about the many worlds he had visited, and about those that Geni had possibly visited. He knew she had been to many herself, when she was living at the Disney Castle with King Mickey and Queen Minnie, as well as when she had spent time in Organization XIII. He had wanted to ask her so many things after she had revealed one of her largest secrets to him, but he probably wasn't ever going to have the chance again.

An image of her, smiling on the beach just before she had gone away that summer, suddenly popped up in his mind. She had kept so many secrets from him, from everyone, that he now wondered how could she have always smiled like that – smiled like she hadn't had a care in the world? The fact that she had been in line as royalty in an alternate universe, the fact that she held within her so much power that if she had wanted to she probably could have _created_ a universe of her own, the fact that she was a Keyblade wielder – and of death no less, the fact that she had been engaged…there were so many secrets that his head spun. For that matter…were there more? Geni's life had never been her own. She had been weak since she was little thanks to the Heartless, and because of that driven to find that which she had lost and all the while trying to make up for it. That one incident had been like a snowball: starting very small at the top of a hill but gaining mass and momentum all the way down it until it was larger than any house.

One of the last things that Riku had even considered when they left were their feelings towards each other. He knew one thing would never change – he loved Geni, and no matter how many universes separated them it wouldn't matter. She had never told him, but he knew she had reciprocated those feelings – going so far as to lie to him that she had been betrothed to another. The several times they had kissed… Riku brought his hands up to his face, remembering each time in crystal clarity. Hiding the action he placed his arm over his eyes, blocking out the view of the night sky.

Sora, on the other hand, was musing in his own quiet way. He felt so alone, empty, like a glass in which half of the water had been poured out. In a strange way, he had always felt connected to his sister even when he hadn't known about her – and ever since they had met, he had always felt tenderness and a warm radiance from her presence no matter where she was. He had almost lost her three times now – once in The World That Never Was, once in the blitzball game, and once when she had been thrown into the Infinite Canyon. Each time she had returned she had been stronger than ever…yet she was still fragile, still human. She had had her doubts, her weaknesses, just like everyone else. However now they were to face them alone. Sure, he might talk to her and even go visit her once in a blue moon, but he would never have that same connection with her ever again.

Sora buried his face into his knees, biting his lip. He felt fine, although he knew he shouldn't be.

~:~:~

Little did they know that someone else was having just as much trouble adjusting.

"Your majesty, your meeting regarding the instatement of the new members of the Imperial Council begins in five minutes," her attendant reminded her gently.

Geni looked up from where she had been writing, her face blank. Suddenly she jumped up. "Oh, that's right! Thank you." She began grabbing various scrolls, books, and other documents that were scattered across her desk. Her clothes whipped around her and she quickly stepped around the small stand on the left side of her desk that held a crystal clear glass ball, and began walking very quickly out of the room, the attendant following close behind.

It had been six days since her family and friends had left the Realm. It had been five days since she and Keldar had begun the tedious task of learning their new roles as King and Queen and cleaning up the aftermath of Donovan's scheming plots. It had been four days since the announcement of the plans to move forward with the wedding between the two of them – to be exactly one month after the year of mourning was over for Dowager Queen Hisako.

And since then Geni had buried herself in her work, barely taking short breaks between various meetings, inspections, and diplomatic negotiations. Even at night after dinner when she was supposed to be resting from the day she continued to work…even late into the morning only to rise with the sun.

Her attendant took strict notice of this, although her charge was quick to hide it. She placed barriers of light and sound around her rooms to keep up the pretense that she might have been asleep, and hid the spells well enough, but it was too obvious.

"Your majesty," she began as they exited her office.

"Yes?" Geni quickly asked her as they made their way towards the general meeting room.

"I believe that we should cancel the after dinner meeting with the staff of the Nurturing this evening and –"

"No." She was quick in her answer. "The trainees need that new practicum assembled and made official for use. We can't put it off any longer."

"And the play at the Academia?"

"Isn't until well after we will have finished."

"What about his majesty?"

Geni skidded to a halt in the middle of the hallway and turned. "Why? What's wrong with Keldar? Is he sick?" she quickly fired off, her brows furrowing.

"No, no, nothing at all like that!" her attendant quickly said, a look of surprise on her face. "It is just that – well, it is not something for me to say."

"What is it? Speak plainly."

"Well…" the woman paused. "It is just that you have barely seen him or spoken a word to him since the day before yesterday. He has asked me if you would have dinner with him this evening, before your meeting with the Nurturing."

Geni bit her lip. _I was going to use that time to draft the new administrative roles for the Music Branch at the Academia_. "And he specifically stated this evening?"

"Yes, your majesty."

Geni sighed. "Yes, please tell him I will join him in our private quarters for dinner this evening. Although it will have to be short," she added quickly.

"Yes, your majesty. I will let the kitchen staff know as well," she added. When the Queen turned around, she smiled to herself in satisfaction.

~:~:~

"Riku!" _Thud._

"Selphie, get _off_," Riku mumbled, trying to pry the girl from him. She had tackled him as he had entered the school grounds that morning.

"But I haven't seen you in forever!"

"You just saw me last night!"

"Well, yes, but that was only for a little bit," she added, the volume of her voice decreasing as she looked around. "Where's Sora?"

"He's coming." Riku looked behind him. "I think."

"You called him this morning, didn't you? Kairi did it on Friday."

"Yes, I did, thank you very much." Still, Riku turned around and watched the gates as he waited for his longtime friend. Ever since they returned, Sora had begun acting chipper and happy as he always had, but slowly had started quieting down, becoming more introverted. His smiles were rare these days – before they would blind you but now you might barely catch an upturned lip once a day. Riku and Kairi had an inkling what was going on, but did their best to cheer him up and make sure he got through each day one at a time; hoping things would slowly get better.

It had now been one month since they had returned and their lives had been turned upside down.

They had returned to school, and Geni's name had been pulled from the school records and was no longer considered a student. Her room had been left the way it was, but Sora had taken to closing the door each time he found it open. At school it had first been a topic of great interest, wondering where she had gone, rumors quick to spring up – the nastier ones authored by Leblanc herself.

That situation had cleared up mostly by itself. Leblanc, after finding out Geni had left under mysterious circumstances, didn't care and threw herself at Riku trying to get back in his good graces. The tall teen ignored her completely, and after two weeks she finally took the hint and left him alone – not without badmouthing him all over the school, but mostly everyone ignored her. It wasn't long until she found another boy toy that she had deemed worthy of her presence and leeched onto.

The hardest part of the change was probably the general lack of interest in what had happened. Those who knew Geni were not saddened, not angered, nor really overly happy about her in general – those who didn't know her barely remembered that she had existed. It was as if her presence was slowly being erased little by little each day with one more person forgetting she had ever lived on the islands at all.

"There he is," Selphie suddenly said, waving towards the main gates. Sora walked in slowly, his eyes downcast towards the ground. "Good morning Sora!" she called to him in a chipper voice.

Sora looked up, his gaze focusing on the two of them. As he walked up Riku noticed the tired expression on his face. "Morning Sora," he told him.

"Hey Riku. Hi Selphie." Sora blinked once at him as he paused, before moving on towards the cluster of buildings that was the high school.

Selphie and Riku stared after him. "He's getting worse," she commented softly.

Riku nodded mutedly. _I had better try and get a hold of King Mickey tonight. At the rate Sora is going…_ at this Riku shook his head. He didn't even want to think about what could happen. He and Selphie quickly caught up with Sora and walked into the building with him.

~:~:~

It had now been eight months since Geni had assumed her duties as Queen of the Realm of the Keepers. At the beginning she had been running around like a chicken with her head cut off, trying to rebuild and fix everything that had been damaged or broken – this including properties, people, and relationships. She had spent much of her time learning how to run an entire Realm, something she should have been learning from the previous monarchs and not on her own.

For that matter, Keldar had been in the same boat. The only difference was that he was actually looking to others for help for once. Before the mess with Donovan, Keldar had thought himself superior than everyone else. Now that he had been humbled, he felt that he owed many people apologies and did not deserve their assistance. Now he was making friends with people left and right, discovering all that Geni had known all along – that the common side of the people of the Realm was just as interesting as the aristocratic side.

However, he was not without his worries. His first and foremost being the wellbeing of the people and the land of the Realm; his second and sometimes even more important being his fiancée.

It was at this moment on a chilly winter evening that he was plotting. He and Geni had been working side-by-side for months now, yet their relationship had not really gone anywhere. He knew she had been having a hard time adjusting to the fact that she could no longer leave the Realm, and missed her family and friends dearly. For that matter, he knew she had been missing other things as well – someone to confide in.

He was ready to take that next step with her – to really get to know her for who she was, rather that the persona she was in the public eye. Each of them had their own personal attendant who catered to their every need, reminded them of important meetings, prepared their clothing and meals, and overall tended to them like a parent would. His own attendant and Geni's always conversed whenever their charges were busy with work, and reported back to them what they other was doing when they were not able to meet regularly. It was during one of these daily reports that Keldar had finally realized that all was not well with his fiancée.

"She _was_ barely eating and sleeping, but as time passed she has become more adjusted to a permanent life here," his attendant reported to him one day. "She acts like everything is alright with her, but if you look into her eyes she has lost that youthful and playful sparkle she once had in them when she was younger," he added. He paused, before finishing. "I am very worried about her, your majesty."

"I see." Keldar folded his hands under his chin while he sat in his own office. Strangely enough, their offices were side-by-side in the palace, yet they never saw each other. So were their personal quarters, for that matter. Thankfully enough they were not required to share rooms – at least, not until they were legal man and wife. "What has Lilith to say about this?"

"She knows that she is hiding it, or at least trying to. We weren't personal attendants to the last royal pair for nothing," he added with a slight grin. "She continues to stay up late, although her appetite is better. Her majesty also seems to be avoiding you lately as well…ever since Lilith began asking her about what she is going to do after the year of mourning has finished in four months."

Keldar's fingers flexed involuntarily. "I see." He thought quietly to himself for a moment. "Ryland, before you married Lilith, when you…_courted_ her, did she acknowledge you immediately?"

Ryland laughed. "Goodness no! She ignored me like I was diseased. It took many months of careful planning to make her see my way and at least go to see a performance with me."

"Have I not done as much as I should have these last months in making her welcome?"

Ryland stopped laughing. "Well…"

"Answer me truthfully, please."

Ryland was quiet as he thought the question over. "She was already welcome here in the Realm, so she is no stranger to this place. I do believe, however – and please do not take offense, your majesty – I do believe that she still pines for her friends, her family…and the one that she had feelings for. You have not made any advancements towards her while this entire time she has been retreating away from you, and ignoring anything that must do with the future wedding between you two."

Keldar winced. "That was…very truthful Ryland."

"You asked me to be," he replied bluntly. "I do believe though that you should try to grab her attention though, before you end up growing too distant from each other."

"…Any ideas?"

And that is where Keldar found himself at the moment. He was currently in the room that united their separate living spaces, setting up exactly what Ryland had instructed him to do. There was a small table lit by candlelight with a dinner for two, a vase of fragrant flowers between them. The doors leading out to the small garden were closed, but the moonlight filtered through the uncovered glass. The one small sofa in front of a working fireplace – which also had a merry fire roaring in it at that moment – was covered with rose petals, while on the small coffee table in front of it lay their entertainment for the evening – Keldar had been practicing on a small harp with a few simple songs. No small feat for someone who had no idea what a quarter note was or what dynamics were used for.

As he looked over his preparations in satisfaction, he heard the door to Geni's rooms open and close. Smiling to himself, he straightened his clothes and waited a minute before walking over to her door. His palms were a bit sweaty from his anxiety, so he wiped them off of his pants before he cautiously knocked. "Genevieve? Are you in?"

"One moment Keldar!" she called out in a tired voice. "Sorry I am late for dinner."

"It's no problem," he called back. "Ryland and Lilith only brought it a few minutes ago."

There was some moving around, closet doors being opened and closed, before he heard her quick steps through the door. "Good, because I am…" he voice trailed off as she opened the door and took in his appearance. "You look…nice tonight," she told him. "What's the occasion?"

Keldar wasn't in his normal uniform of the royalty, but had put on a pair of nice pair of pants with a tight-fitting shirt. His normal shoes were on as well, but none of his royal jewelry was on – especially his crown. His normal spiky black hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. "Well, I just wanted to feel more comfortable than my dress uniform," he explained to her. He was standing in the doorway, blocking her view of the rest of the room.

"That's fine." Geni always changed out of her dress uniform as soon as she retired for the evening, so her appearance was nothing new to him. Tonight she was wearing a plain form fitting tank top with a more casual pair of her puffed out pant, and her favorite sandals. "What's for dinner this evening?"

"Come and see." He stepped aside, and Geni's eyes widened as she took in the view. She shook her head in disbelief, and took a wary step back. Keldar saw her and grabbed her wrist. "Please, come have dinner with me tonight," he asked her in a soft voice, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it.

Geni swallowed hard, a lump in her throat. "Keldar…I…"

"Please, let me try at least," he asked of her. "I know I cannot replace what you have lost…but I am not trying to. You have suffered these past months because you have put the needs of everyone else before your own. Now let me put you before everything else. You _deserve_ to be happy Genevieve."

She looked up at him, and into his earnest expression. Really, even with his hard head, Keldar was trying his best. _You chose this, remember?_ her conscience reminded her quietly. Geni blinked once before stepping over the threshold, allowing Keldar to take her hand and seat her at the table.

He was a perfect gentleman throughout dinner, keeping her entertained with different events and stories he had heard of late. She made sure to keep up her end of the conversation, even laughing once in a while. During dessert Keldar even managed to impress her with a few simple songs he had learned on a basic hand harp.

At the moment Keldar had finished his serenade, making Geni laugh at his pitiful attempts at basic musicianship. He had set it down on the small coffee table while they both sat upon the small sofa in front of the warm fire. Geni rubbed her hands together slowly. "Are you cold?" he asked her.

She nodded. "A little," she admitted. "The palace is not the best insulated structure in this universe or any other."

Keldar got up and walked a few feet away to the small fireplace, and using a poker stoked the small flames until they were large, dancing spindles of fire once more. As he walked back he asked her, "Better?"

"Yes, thank you." Geni continued to stare at the fire, watching the flames wave back and forth at her. They entranced her, commanding her attention to nowhere else but it.

Keldar watched her as she watched the fire, noting how well her eyes reflected – like small mirrors. Her spiked hair caught the subtle changes in the flickering light, and he had to note the small dimples on her cheeks which protruded slightly whenever she smiled. _She's beautiful_, he finally realized to himself, _in her own way_. Slowly, Keldar leaned over and placed his left hand on her shoulder.

Geni turned at the sudden touch, only to find her lips suddenly enveloped by Keldar's own in their very first kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she did not pull away – even when Keldar's other hand went up to cup her face and bring her in closer. She closed her eyes, trying to discover her feelings and his.

Keldar pulled away slowly, opening his eyes to find hers still closed. _Well, at least she didn't shove me through the nearest wall. That's a start._ He watched as she slowly opened her eyes, staring at him – almost as if she was examining him. "Well?" he finally asked her.

"Well what?"

"…we just kissed."

It was at that moment that it seemed as if what he had just done set in. Her face lit up a brilliant crimson color, her neck even flushing a dark shade of pink. She turned away from him, stuttering. "W-what was that all about? W-what are you t-trying to –?"

"I am not _trying_ to do anything," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder, turning her back around to face him. "I am trying to correct a situation that I should have fixed long ago."

"And w-what's that?"

"That I did not realize sooner how much I love you," he told her in a quiet voice before he leaned in and captured her lips once more. This time Geni was just as surprised, but Keldar would not let her go, in fact leaning into the kiss and making it deeper than their first one. He placed his hands on either side of her face, pulling her towards him.

~:~:~

"Happy birthday Sora!"

The large group standing around the teenager smiled and cheered for him, an enormous birthday cake with flickering candles sitting in front of him.

"Go ahead, blow out your candles," Kairi encouraged from his left.

The brunette smiled at her, before taking large breath and blowing out the seventeen lit candles. As he did, there was a cheer, which transformed into playful jokes when it was realized that one candle was left burning.

"One more Sora," Riku laughed at him.

Sora shook his head. "That's Geni's candle."

The area around him went silent. "…Sora…"

~:~:~

She pushed him away. "Keldar, stop."

He looked at her, surprised. "Did I do it wrong?"

Geni shook her head at him, holding up her hands. "No, no…you didn't do anything wrong."

"…but?"

She turned away from him, facing towards the fire. "This has nothing to do with you, Keldar. No matter how I try, I just can't seem to forget…forget their faces, forget my memories – both happy and sad – with all of them." She swallowed loudly before continuing. "I thought that I could forget them, forget what we went through, forget how I felt, but no matter how much work I dive into to ignore the pains in my heart, the more it hurts." Geni bent her head, placing her hands around it. "It hurts, and only I can stop it. It hurts, but I can't make it stop." Her voice started to break on her last words.

Keldar's face fell. _She's falling apart from the inside out_, he finally realized. _Not sleeping, not eating, throwing herself into her work, secluding herself from everyone…it's killing her to be away from her family, away from her friends, away from…_ his thought trailed off.

He clenched his fists. This was supposed to be their happy ending. This was supposed to be the best time of their lives, getting to know one another, preparing for the day coming soon that they could be together forever. But how could he fight a memory? How could he fight her loneliness for her?

The answer was so obvious, yet he had been unwilling to accept it – so it physically hurt him when it hit him only a moment later.

~:~:~

Two months had passed since Geni had left behind her family and friends for good to live in the Realm of the Keepers. In those two months, Sora had been transformed from an extrovert to in introvert. He no longer was the happy go-lucky friend and loudmouth, but the quiet, shy, fear-of-any-type-of-confrontation type of person.

This change had hit Kairi and Riku the most. The two people closest to him, the two who knew the real reasons why he had changed, longed for his old self to return. But they also knew that it could not happen either; they had to live with the changes forevermore, and do their best to constantly cheer him up and try and reverse the changes incurred by his twin's permanent leave of absence.

Riku stared out into the bright blue sky, his eyes following a lone cloud as it traveled across it during his literature class. School no longer interested him as it once did, and although he still received the best grades in his class, his heart just wasn't in it.

"Mr. Tamohara? The next paragraph, if you please," his teacher called out.

"Yes sir," Riku replied, standing up and reciting the next long paragraph out of whatever book the class had been reading.

Sora, who was in the same class, had his head lying on his desk, barely awake. He knew he should be paying attention – they had a test on Friday – but he hardly could keep his eyes open he was so tired. As usual, he had tossed and turned all night, not even warm milk lulling him into a fitful slumber.

_Serves you right – eating an entire box of cookies before bed. Can we say sugar rush?_

Sora's head shot up from his desk, looking around in a panic.

"Thank you for joining us, Mr. Akeno," his teacher sighed, walking back up to the front of the class after having tapped Sora's desk with a ruler. "Now, as I had said, please continue where Mr. Tamohara left off."

"Yes sir," he said, standing.

Riku looked over at Sora, confused. _I know I saw Sora sit up _before_ the ruler hit the desk – which means something else startled him. But what?_

As Sora finished reading, he sat down, a bewildered look still apparent on his face. Since they were in the back of class, Riku waited until his teacher moved onto the next student before leaning over. "Sora, what happened?"

"You didn't hear that?" Sora whispered to him.

"Hear what?"

"…never mind then," Sora replied, his face falling. _Great, now I'm crazy. I swear I heard Geni's voice just then._

The rest of the period passed by without any more incidents, and when the bell rang the students all jumped out of their seats excitedly to run to lunch. Sora lagged behind, as usual, and Riku waited for him. Once their teacher and the rest of the students were gone from the room, he asked him again. "Sora, what happened? I know you didn't wake up because of that ruler. You looked surprised, almost in shock."

Sora shook his head as he placed a book in his bag. "You probably would think I was crazy."

"Try me."

Sora looked up at him; his eyes the clearest Riku had seen them in weeks. "I heard Geni's voice just now, in class."

Riku almost dropped his own books. "Wait…what? How…I mean…what did she say?"

Sora laughed at him, a bitter laugh. "What? No, 'Sora, you're crazy' kind of talk? I mean, I was hearing voices Riku."

_You aren't crazy Sora._

This time both of them really _did_ drop their things; books, pencils, pens, and a calculator dropped onto desks and the floor noisily. "Tell me you heard that," Sora begged Riku quietly.

"I-I did," Riku confirmed shakily. "B-but how –?"

"SORA! RIKU!" a voice screamed for them from out in the hallway. The two dumbfounded teenagers turned slowly as Selphie came running into the classroom. Upon noticing them in the back, she dashed towards them. "Good! You two are still here! Come on, let's go!" she grabbed their arms and pulled them forward.

"Selphie…Selphie, wait, what's going on?" Riku asked her.

"You're never going to believe this!" she told them with a grin as she pulled them out of the room. Strangely enough, Riku and Sora finally noticed that students were frantically _running_ towards the end of the school nearest to the sports fields and the blitzball stadium. They were all talking in loud, excited voices, but the two boys could barely make anything out.

"What's going on?" Sora asked in confusion, repeating Riku's question.

"That's the thing – no one has _any_ idea of what's going on. But…" she trailed off as they turned a corner and ran down some stairs. "…but I have seen it before. At least, something _like_ it."

Sora and Riku gave each other a look as they neared the door nearest to the practice fields. They ran past some trophy cases, following the continuous river of students and faculty, until they were blinded by the midday sunlight streaming down onto them.

"What _is_ that thing?"

"Maybe it was made by aliens!"

"Aliens don't exist, stupid."

"I know – maybe it's magic!"

"Students, please calm down and return to your classrooms. I assure you we will take care of this matter. Please remain calm and go back into the building," one of the principals called through a megaphone.

"Excuse me, coming through," Selphie called, nudging her way through the crowd. It was a sea of people on the concourse towards the blitzball stadium, all buzzing with excitement and some with trepidation. She forced her way to the front of the crowd, grunting. "Ugh! Finally here – look you two!"

Sora and Riku looked up out of the crowd…only to find an enormous rectangular door of light sitting not one hundred feet away from them. The teachers were keeping the students back away from it, but as Sora and Riku looked upon it something settled over them. It was calming and comforting, like a warm bath or a hug from a friend.

It was the Door to Light.

"Selphie, get back," Sora commanded her. He stood up straight and tall, his eyes taking on that familiar sparkle that they had all missed so much in the past two months.

"Where is Kairi?" Riku asked her, smiling at Sora as they both took a step forward.

"Right – here, oomph," she said, stumbling into Sora's back. "Sorry Sora."

"No need to apologize," he told her with a smile, turning around to pull her forward.

"Sor-is that what I think it is?" Kairi gaped, interrupting her own question as to why Sora looked so alive at that moment.

"Yes. It's the same door that appeared to us to bring us home," he told her, grasping her hand. "Let's go."

Sora and Kairi walked hand in hand next to Riku towards the Door to Light. Several students saw them step forward and called out to them, which of course got the teacher's attention as well.

"Riku! Wait for me!" Leblanc called out to him, trying to get passed one of the gym teachers.

"Sora Akeno! Riku Tamohara! Kairi Ruka! Stop at _once_!" Coach Djilas called out as he held Leblanc back. "We don't know what that…that _thing_ is yet!"

Riku turned around, and suddenly the front row of students quieted. "But _we_ do," he told him simply. "There is nothing to be afraid of." He turned back around, and the three of them continued forward.

By this time, the entire student and staff body had quieted down to a dull roar, seeing the three of them bravely approach the unknown. Stopping twenty feet or so in front of the door, Kairi, Riku, and Sora all held their hands out and summoned their Keyblades to their hands: Sunset Blossom, The Way to the Dawn, and Oathkeeper. There was an audible gasp of surprise behind them, before heated whispering took over the onlooker's sense of fear.

As they did, a large keyhole appeared in the door – at least three feet tall – and stood at the ready. Pointing their Keyblades to the Door to Light, each emitted a small beam of white light. As the three beams hit the doorway, a sudden clicking sound was heard from inside it – this time, however, of something being unlocked rather than locking. The door flashed brighter once, and the keyhole disappeared. As it did, something amazing happened.

Two lines of guards in shining silver armor suddenly passed through the door and onto the stone pathway. Their armor clinked softly but they still carried large spears for weapons with sharp blades on the top of them. At this sight some of the students screamed and began running away, some running while shouting "It's an invasion!," while others could only stand still in shock and fear and watch the intruders to the islands file through the doorway one by one.

After ten guards filed in on each side of them, they about faced to face each other and slammed their spears on the ground, then were silent. Their helmets prevented anyone from seeing their faces, but the three teenagers recognized the armor almost immediately.

Sora squeezed Kairi's hand even tighter, trembling. "I know them," he said in a whisper.

"So do we," Riku replied, a lump forming in his throat. _It couldn't be…_

A solitary figure in a light brown cloak stepped through the doorway, looking around them first before spying the three figures staring dumbfounded at the doorway.

"Ah! Rammu drana! Yna oui Sora, Riku, yht Kairi?" the figure called in a man's voice. He began walking towards them.

"He said our names," Kairi repeated excitedly. "Does he know us?"

"My name is Riku," Riku said carefully, stepping forward in front of Kairi and Sora. "Who are you?"

"So hysa ec Rydan, yht E ys y canjyhd uv rec syzacdo, Gehk Keldar. Ra ec lusehk rana fedr ran syzacdo," the man said, bowing to them.

The three of them were silent. "I…have no idea what he just said," Sora said, the first to shake his head.

At that moment it did not matter, for another group of people suddenly began coming through the doorway made of light. The strange man turned and bowed to one knee. Sora quickly followed suite, leaving Riku and Kairi to fumble into place next to him.

As they did, the first two figures exited from the doorway – one wearing a red sash across a beige full-body cloak, the other a blue sash. Their heads and faces were covered – much like the first time the group had seen them. After them followed a shorter person, holding a white box, also dressed in a light brown cloak. And finally, after them, came two people dressed in sparkling white robes that were lined with purple trim around the bottom, the ends of the sleeves, and on the inside hems. Across their chests was a purple sash, although if they wore anything on their heads it was covered by a white hood. Overall, it gave off a look of extreme power but also mystery.

The fearful group backed up even further, more students running away. However, the teachers in front knew royalty when they saw them – even if they had never heard of any except in some history books.

"Amazing," Coach Djilas breathed quietly, slowing bending down to one knee.

"What are you doing?" hissed a math teacher next to him.

"Just…do it, alright? I don't want any incidents," the principal who was still holding the megaphone said as he joined the blitzball coach on his knees.

Seeing the principal on his knees, the entire student body and any faculty who were left slowly went down on their knees, in fear of these strangers who had suddenly appeared out of thin air before them.

The group of five people walked forward until they came to the first man who had come out. The two people wearing the red and blue sashes stepped forward and spoke with him momentarily; he responded, looking back at the three teens that kneeled with mixed expressions on their faces. As they nodded, they turned back around to the other three.

The person with the red sash spoke first. "Drao yna rana, ouin syzacdo. Fryd crymm fa tu ypuid dra nacd uv dras?" an older man spoke.

The taller of the two beings in white stepped forward. "Mayja dras pa - drao yna paryjehk drascamjac...vun dra susahd," a man's voice replied, his head turning towards the large group.

"Drah fa cruimt pakeh - fa lyhhud gaab dra Tuun ubah vun silr muhkan," the woman who wore the blue sash said next. She turned towards the other person holding the white box. "Ubah ed."

The shortest of the group nodded and stepped forward towards the two in white. All at once, each of them removed their hood – startling all in attendance.

"That's Allandra, and Zephyr!" Kairi exclaimed.

"I have no idea who those other two are, but that is Keldar," Riku murmured. "Although he does look different."

Sora held his breath, his eyes moist. "Then…then that couldn't be…"

As the four placed their hoods carefully around the back of their cloaks, they turned towards the last of their group. The mystery person slowly brought their hands up, and very carefully pulled back their hood, revealing that telltale shock of light brown spiked hair.

"Geni!" Sora shouted, trying to get to his feet.

She turned towards him and smiled. Geni looked exactly the same as she had when they had left – except at this moment she looked regal and noble, holding herself high and with pride. Her silver circlet sparkled in the sunshine, the large amethyst gem in the center shining.

"No way," Leblanc said, her eyes widening as large as saucers. "What the hell is _she_ doing with them? I thought she had gone back to whatever hole she had crawled out of?" Her voice was loud enough to catch the ears of everyone standing around her.

Unfortunately for her, it also angered several people in the immediate area. One of the Guards on the very end of the line whipped their head around towards her, and shouted something at her before running full speed towards her. They passed the three kneelers, who barely had time to stand up before the Guard was pointing the spear directly at Leblanc – not three inches away from her.

"Ruf tyna oui tavema uin knayd Xiaah?" a female voice shouted at her, furious. "Oui mufmo risyh...ghufehk hudrehk uv dra uidceta ihejanca..." they threatened.

"Cdub!" Geni shouted in an authoritative voice. The immediate area was silenced, hearing her speak such a foreign language. She had her hand held up towards the Guard. "Mufan ouin faybuh vnus ran. Cra tuac hud tacanja ouin bedo."

"Oac, ouin syzacdo," the Guard said, lowering their spear from its rest against Leblanc's chest. "E ybumukewa vun so nycr yldeuhc." They turned away from Leblanc, the massive spear once again pointing towards the sky as they walked back to join their line once more.

Leblanc fell backwards onto her rear end, terrified. "Be quiet Leblanc," Coach Djilas warned. "Detention after school." She nodded at him, still staring at the person who had literally saved her life.

"Bmayca luhdehia," she said softly to the group around her.

Keldar looked upon her, sadness in his eyes. "E femm secc oui," he began, "pid E ghuf oui femm pa rybbean rana, ysuhkcd ouin vneahtc yht vysemo."

"Oui femm ymfyoc pa eh uin rayndc, ouin syzacdo," Allandra and Zephyr both said at the same time, giving her a bow. "Oui femm ymfyoc ryja y rusa fedr ic, eh dra Nayms uv dra Gaabanc."

"Dryhg oui," Geni told them, bowing back, "yht dryhg oui vun ajanodrehk oui ryja dyikrd sa. E femm hajan vunkad ed, hun yho uv oui."

"Bmayca puf ouin rayt vun dra nasujym uv ouin cdydic," the young woman who had accompanied the group said, holding out the open box.

Geni bowed her head, and Keldar slowly placed his hands over the dainty crown. Upon lifting it off of her head, he placed it in the box the woman was holding. Following that, Geni took off a ring from her finger, and reached up under the sleeve of her cloak to remove an armband as well. She stood up, handing both over to Keldar, who placed them in the box. The last thing she did was unclasp a simple necklace from around her neck – the necklace that had signified her status as royalty, as well as her engagement to Keldar – and gently place it in the palm of his hand.

"E ys cunno," she whispered to him softly as she handed it over.

"Bmayca tuh'd pa...E femm ymfyoc muja oui," he whispered back to her as he clasped the necklace within his fingers. He took a deep breath and stated loudly, "Oui ryja paah cdnebbat uv ymm cdydic. Oui yna hu muhkan Xiaah, yht oui yna hu muhkan ahkykat du pa so feva. Oui yna vnaa du meja dra nacd uv ouin tyoc eh ouin ufh fyo."

The woman closed the box, bowed once to Geni, and with the man who had come through first walked quickly back through the Door to Light. Allandra and Zephyr also bowed once, but each placed a hand upon her shoulder before turning away from her. As they walked away, Keldar was the last to leave. The Guards stood still, waiting for their remaining monarch to withdraw.

He stepped closer to her, masking her face from the view of all the onlookers present. Keldar looked downwards towards his feet, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. "Genevieve, I…" he began in English.

"Yes?" she inquired softly.

Looking up, he placed a hand on the side of her face, caressing it with his thumb. "Be happy," he said after a moment. Nodding to her, he lowered his hand and turned. He strode purposefully towards the Door to Light, but halted before moving through it as the others had. Instead, he turned around. "Cymida!" he shouted.

As one, all of the Guards thumped their spears into the ground, holding it in the crooks of their right arms. They then placed their right hand over their left fists and bowed to her. Keldar did the same, standing still momentarily, before regaining his posture. "Fedrtnyf!" he shouted once more. The Guards stood, and as one began marching back through the Door to Light. As they disappeared, Keldar looked upon her once more. He raised a hand in farewell before turning to join his comrades.

As he stepped through, the Door to Light slowly diminished until it finally faded away, leaving not a trace – leaving no evidence that a miracle had just occurred.

Silence repeated that fact. Those who had been watching couldn't believe their eyes. They had been stunned into silence.

Sora had remained standing, after he had just gotten to his feet when the Guard had rushed Leblanc. He watched his sister stare at the spot the portal had been only moments ago. She did not move, and she did not turn around. _What is she waiting for…? _he thought to himself…until he started smiling. _Of course._

Sora ambled over quietly to his sister, his footsteps barely echoing off of the concrete. She did not acknowledge his presence, yet he knew that she knew he was there. As he came around her and stood in front of her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. It was then she finally looked up at him, a sad expression on her face.

"Welcome home," he told her sincerely, before wrapping her up in a warm hug.

It was then that pandemonium broke loose. The stillness erupted with sound – some with shouts of excitement, others with exhales of relief. Riku and Kairi stumbled to their feet and ran forward to join Sora. Sora was grinning from ear to ear as Kairi grabbed both of them and started crying. Riku came just behind her, and using his lanky long arms, managed to grip all three of them at once.

"Geni!" Selphie cried, running from the crowd to join them.

"Yo! Told you she was back, ya," Wakka told Tidus as he punched him in the arm. They had walked a bit slower behind Selphie to rejoin their friends.

"When? Just now?" Tidus rolled his eyes, but was still smiling. "Took you long enough."

Geni smiled to herself, surrounded by those she loved. She felt at peace, safe, and complete once more. As she looked into her brother's eyes identical cerulean eyes, she knew that he already knew what she was going to say. "…I'm home."

"Welcome home," he told her warmly.


	44. Epilogue

Epilogue

After Geni's spectacular arrival on the school grounds the gossip and rumors spread like wildfire. The fact that she had been dressed in pure white, wore a crown, was bowed to, and spoke in a strange language did absolutely nothing to assist in her adjustment back to her old life. For that matter, Sora, Kairi, and Riku were also speculated about – the sudden appearance of their Keyblades made everyone around them wary of them. Needless to say only Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus were the only ones who would go near them.

However…it didn't matter one bit. Sora was suddenly back to his perky self, practically jumping out of his skin with happiness. He wouldn't leave Geni's side for the rest of the day, no matter where they went.

Especially since they were called to the principal's office and punished for jeopardizing the safety of the school as well as ignoring the orders of a teacher. All four of them sat in chairs in his office, listening to him rant to them, but in a slightly fearful way – his voice was shaking the entire time, looking between all four of them and wondering what they were truly capable of.

Geni said nothing to defend herself, but sat in her chair regally. She nodded at the appropriate times, giving words of apology or a slight explanation when required, but other than that just sat there and watched the proceedings with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

Their parents arrived less than an hour later. The Akeno's were dumbfounded at Geni's appearance, but immediately took her into their arms and welcomed her home. She hugged them back soundly, looking for the first time that day like her old self – a teenager, and not a princess or queen.

All of their parents knew of their secret, of course, so they didn't bother to scold the teens on that. They only assured the principal and staff that they would never pull a stunt like that again, and took all of them home. You see, they had all been suspended from school for the rest of the school day so the rest of the students would not have to sit in fear (or awe) of them.

However, what surprised them the most that afternoon upon arriving back at their homes was that King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy were all waiting for them when they arrived. Geni immediately rushed forward and enveloped her foster parents, apologizing profusely to them about her behavior, the lies and half-truths she had told them, and many other things. Queen Minnie stroked her hair and told her it was alright – of course, she had been the only one privy to this secret life until King Mickey had found out two months and three days ago. But even he was in a forgiving mood – he hugged his foster daughter back lovingly and accepted her apologies without question. Donald, Daisy, and Goofy all gave her large hugs and welcomed her back. Donald and Goofy, of course, were more teary-eyed than the others.

One full week had passed since her return to her home on the Destiny Islands, and for more or less life had returned to its mundane cycle. Geni had re-enrolled in school, and spent much of that time playing catch-up with what she had missed; naturally, she had completed two months work in three days time.

What was different, though, was how she and the others were treated. Not ostracized, but placed on a different plane of existence compared to everyone else. The teachers ignored the fact of her initial appearance, and only a few students were brave enough to approach her and ask her about it. It isn't like she came back quietly, but in a dramatic fanfare for all to see. She was honest and truthful, but not to the point that she was revealing universal secrets to them – she was a Keyblade wielder, and her duty was to protect the boundary of the worlds.

The only person who would not go near her whatsoever was Leblanc. After the Guard nearly decapitated her, she sufficed herself with jeering from a distance. It took less than one day and she was reined in by staff and students alike, finally put in her place. She of course blamed Geni for this, but no one would listen to her anymore.

A party was being held in her honor – well, both her and Sora's. Geni had missed celebrating her birthday with her twin for the first time ever, and so everyone had decided to throw yet another party for the two of them. The Akeno's backyard was filled with shouts of laughter and talk, as Mr. Akeno grilled hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone, and the other parents had made enough food to feed a small army.

"This is so good!" Wakka exclaimed, biting into another hamburger.

"You're welcome Wakka, but chew with your mouth closed please," Mrs. Akeno reminded him.

"Yes ma'am," he said sullenly, closing his mouth.

Everyone laughed at him. They were seated around a fire pit on the sand, just below the hill the Akeno's house was situated on that lead directly into the ocean. Geni smiled at everyone, noting how much she had missed the company of her close friends and family – not that she wouldn't miss the rest of them back in the Realm.

Riku noticed her smile dip down into a small frown. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her. They were sitting next to each other on a beach blanket he had brought from his house.

She looked up, guilty at having been caught. "Nothing in particular," she said with a smile.

Riku shook his head. "No more secrets. You promised, remember?"

At this he had the whole group's attention. "What is it?" Sora immediately asked her, sitting down beside her.

Geni looked down, playing with the sand between her fingers. The air was thick with tension as they all waited to hear what she had to say. "It's just…it's just that…" she paused, trying to find the right words. "…When I stayed, back there, I thought I was making the right decision – for myself, for all of you, and for my people. I tried so hard to fix everything, so make it better than what it had been, that I lost sight of what was most important to me."

"And what is that?" Sora asked her.

She looked up at him and smiled. "You. My friends. My family – here, and on the other worlds. But not only in this universe – in the other universe as well. I have family in both places, and friends as well. I just can't forget one and live in the other – I finally understood that my heart is divided."

"Is that a bad thing…or a good thing?" Sora said, scratching his head.

"A good thing," she emphasized with a laugh. "I forced myself to try and distance myself from all of you…something I should never have done. I was lying to myself, as well as the rest of you. While trying to protect you, I allowed myself to be blinded. It took a hard hit of reality to make me realize all of this."

"Was it painful?" Wakka asked her. Everything laughed, and the sudden tension in the air vanished.

"Actual, not so much physically painful as emotionally," she told them.

"Who was it then?" Kairi asked her.

"Keldar."

"Really? He wouldn't seem like the type to –" Riku began, before Geni cut him off.

"Riku, remember the time difference between our universe and the Realm's?" she asked him gently.

"Yes. Time runs…oh," he finished, closing his mouth before even finishing his statement. "I get it."

"Get what?" Sora prodded.

Riku shook his head. "Think about it Sora."

Sora tilted his head, as he thought to himself. _Okay, if time runs seven times as fast there, since one day here equals seven days there…then how much time would have passed? Two months here…carry the one…oh!_ "Fourteen months…" he finished, "from the time we left to the time you arrived last week."

Loud exclamations met his statement. The loudest were from all of the parents. "What?" Mrs. Akeno shouted. "How is that possible? We only saw you a few months ago!"

Geni held a hand up, and the outbursts calmed. "There are many things that I haven't told all of you about, and there are some things that I will not. Or rather, cannot. However, I will tell you all I can."

"Do you promise to this time?" Selphie asked her, looking at her from across the bonfire. "The whole truth?"

"And nothing but," Geni promised. The area quieted for a moment. "So…what do you all want to know?"

"How did Keldar make you change your mind?" Riku asked first quietly from next to her.

_Of course he would ask that question first_. "Well, he –"

"Who is this Keldar person?" Mrs. Akeno asked, interrupting her. "Was he someone important?"

Sora was taking a sip of water when his mother asked this question, and inadvertently started choking on his water as she asked it. Kairi patted his back, trying to hold back a giggle.

"What?" Mrs. Akeno asked.

Geni rolled her eyes. "Well, yes – Keldar was an important person. He was my fiancé."

"WHAT?" Geni winced at the loud commotion she had started. _Maybe not the best time…_

"You were ENGAGED?" Selphie squealed. Tidus and Wakka just sat there, dumbfounded, looking between her and Riku. Kairi and Sora couldn't help but laugh, but most of the adults looked between a cross of confusion and outrage. Finally, Mr. Akeno shut them all up with his next sentence.

"As my daughter, you are far too young to be getting married." He looked at her with a smile. "And besides, we never met him, so it was probably for the best – you have someone even better than that in this universe."

Geni smiled. "I do, don't I?" she answered softly.

"Enough of this! I want to hear this story from the _beginning_, not from several months ago," Mrs. Tamohara interrupted, looking at her son. "And I mean from the _very_ beginning. There are so many things we never learned about you, my dear – not to be pushy. What happened? Why did you disappear from the island when you were a baby? Your parents told me that story, but it was a little unbelievable. But with you coming back…suddenly more things are a little more believable than most lately," she ended with a laugh.

"The very beginning?" Geni sighed. "I suppose so.

…It all began, when I was taken from the hospital and placed into the fountain of another world…"

Hours later, Geni looked around and smiled. Mostly everyone had left the party, now that they were into the wee hours of the morning. She had told them everything – at least, _mostly_ everything. A girl still had to have her secrets, you know. However, her friends and family knew more about her than they had ever known, including things that she had not even told Sora, Kairi, or Riku while in the Realm of the Keepers. For instance, the fact that she had kept tabs on all of them while she had been away over the summer with Queen Minnie. Sora got a thorough scolding from Kairi when Geni had mentioned how he and Riku had tried creating their own version of a gummi ship and launching it off of the play island.

A splash of cool water snapped her out of her musings. The tide was rising against her bare ankles. The moon shone brightly over the still water of the ocean, bathing the sand and palm trees in its pale light. It illuminated the play island in the far distance, but still did not dim the light of the faintly twinkling stars high overhead. It was a peaceful night.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" a voice said quietly in her ear.

She turned, smiling. "You read my mind."

Riku stood next to her, towering over her. "That was quite a story," he admitted. "Are you sure you wanted to tell everyone all of it?"

She shrugged. "It's better that they know, instead of being surprised by it later."

"Are you planning on reuniting with any more friends from different worlds in an amazing fashion sometime soon then?" he joked. "Or proving the existence of magic to the scientific community of this world?"

"Well, the first no…but the latter would be fun." Geni leaned up against Riku, her head coming up to his shoulder to rest on it. Riku placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. "I missed you," he said softly, placing a gentle kiss on top of her head.

"I missed you too," she replied warmly, wrapping her arm around his waist. After that quick exchange, they stood there looking out at the water and listening to the absence of sound save for the gentle lapping of the waves.

"You never said why Keldar was the one person who convinced you to come back," he suddenly said.

Geni felt him stiffen as he asked that question. "Didn't I?"

"No, you didn't."

"…Oh, I thought it was obvious."

"Well, you may need to enlighten some of us. Namely, me. You didn't really go into what happened to make you leave."

She sighed. "I suppose it is easier to show you, rather than explain." She let him go, and grabbed his arm so that he was facing her. "Experiencing someone else's memories allows you not only to see what they saw, but also sometimes feel what they felt. So don't be alarmed, alright?"

"I won't be," he promised her.

She bowed her head, and brought her free right hand up to her chest. As she began to chant softly, her hand began to glow a soft golden color. It did not take her long, before she stopped, and reached up to place the flat of her palm against Riku's heart.

_A sudden jolting feeling left Riku nauseous, as if he were spinning out of control. Black filled his vision – color was nowhere to be found, nor was the beach he had previously been standing on. Geni was nowhere to be seen as well._

_"Geni?" he called out. There was no verbal reply, but a light suddenly flared all around him. He fell to a stop, falling onto a hard stone floor that was cool to the touch. "Ouch," he said, rubbing the elbow he had smacked – on something hard and flat, it had felt like. When he looked up, he realized that it was an ornate wooden desk…which was in an even more ornate office of sorts. Shelves lined three of the four walls, and were filled with books and scrolls of every kind. The last wall, which contained two large glass windows, were covered with detailed maps of various mountainous, deserts, and forested regions._

_"Geni?" he called out once more, stepping around a plush chair that sat in front of the desk. Suddenly he heard footsteps coming from outside of the room, quickly tapping against the stone surface. Riku looked around in a panic, before diving behind a small sofa just as the doors burst open._

_"You can't be serious!" a man's voice shouted, angry._

_"I am completely serious – and please, do not shout."_

_Riku recognized the second voice immediately._

_"Yes, your majesty. However, you just cannot let her leave! What about working things out? What about the coronation ceremony? What about your _wedding_ ceremony?"_

_"Ryland, calm done," Keldar said. Riku wished he could stand up and see what was going on, but he didn't dare move. "You asked me to…grab her attention, as you called it…and I did. I planned a romantic dinner, I even serenaded her, and for that matter I kissed her!"_

_Riku clenched his fists. _Okay, that she did _not_ tell me.

_"But when I did…" Keldar trailed off._

_"Yes, your majesty?"_

_"When I did, I realized that I was already too late. She is broken, Ryland, and it is my fault."_

_"Broken? Goodness! That is a bit of a strong term, don't you agree?"_

_"No, because that fits her exactly right now. She has been wrest in two. Half of her lives here, with us, but her other half still lives back on her islands. No matter what the Ceremony of Sealing did, it could not change her mind, or her heart. No, Ryland, we must let her go."_

_Silence reigned over the room for a few solid minutes. Riku could hear someone moving things on the desk – something like paper, before a scratching sound was heard. Carefully, he peered over the back of the small sofa. It was indeed the two of them; Keldar with his royal white robes on and purple sash, and Ryland with his ivory robes on and red sash. Ryland was pacing back and forth softly, while Keldar ignored his movements and continued writing._

_Suddenly, Ryland paused. "Lilith is _not_ going to like this," he thought out loud, before shuddering._

_"Neither is the new Imperial Council, to be sure," Keldar added with a grimace._

_"But how though?"_

_At that moment Riku was thrown into the swirling darkness once more. His stomach dropped into his feet, and he almost felt his dinner coming back up to greet him. However, just like before, the lurching motion finished quickly and he was dumped this time onto a grassy surface._

_"At least this place is a bit softer," he murmured to himself, standing up and brushing a few stray leaves from his clothes. As he did, he froze. He was standing in the middle of an enormous crowd of people, all of whom were all watching something in the distance with rapt fascination._

_"Damn it," he swore quietly. He tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but he needn't have been afraid: at that moment, a person walked _through_ him. Riku shouted in surprise but noticed that the person did not see him, and Riku hadn't felt a presence walk through him at all. "I'm…a ghost?" he thought out loud. "I wish I would have known this sooner."_

_Happy at his newfound inconspicuousness, he walked forward through the crowd to see what they were all staring at. He had been standing under a tree, in a small grassy area near what seemed like a road heading between many buildings lining a large street. As he – strangely enough – walked through the people standing around him, he came to stand at the forefront of an enormous line of onlookers. "What are they all staring at?" he asked out loud, forgetting for a moment that no one could hear him._

_"Drana cra ec!" someone shouted, nearly in his ear. Sudden whispers broke out all around him, but were quickly hushed._

_Riku peered around the people next to him in time to see a caravan of pure white coming towards them. Dozens of Guards in polished silver armor shone the way, their Keyblades on display in front of them, holding them vertically to their bodies. Behind them was a carriage being pulled by several of the bird-like creatures he had remembered seeing while he was there before. They were resplendent in their own version of the silver armor, as well as the Guards who rode several around the carriage._

_Now, carriage would probably not be the right word to use to describe this mechanism of transportation. Rolling stage would be a better word for it. Upon the stage there were only four people – and those four people Riku easily recognized. Keldar and Geni stood at the front of the stage, while the two older advisors of theirs – Ryland and Lilith – stood a short ways behind them._

_However, what was eerily strange to him was that no one was making a sound. The people were just watching as they rode by – the only sound was the clicks of the bird's claws against the stone beneath their large bodies._

_Riku watched as they slowly passed. Although Keldar was wearing his formal whites, Geni was in her regular attire – the clothes that she had been wearing the first time they had arrived in the Realm. Her royal monikers were gone from her – the crown, the arm band, the ring. She no longer wore royal purple. He could also see that Geni's face was turned in front of her, looking down the road, and neither at the people nor at Keldar. Keldar was also looking down the road, but occasionally glanced around – secretly, almost as if he were ashamed to do so. The strangest part was that she was surrounded by men and women on all sides, as if preventing her from escaping off of the platform._

_But then he heard it. The pounding of feet upon the stone – several pairs, at the least. "Hu! Fyed! Tuh'd ku!" several younger voices cried out._

_"Rymd!" a woman's voice shouted angrily. "Tuh'd lusa yho lmucan!"_

_Riku ran out into the street, and looked behind the small caravan. Several children of varying ages, from a little girl who could have been in an elementary school to two older boys nearer to Riku's own._

_The three of them stopped, when several of the Guards blocked their way. The littlest girl stomped her foot on the ground and started shouting. "Hu! Cra lyh'd mayja!"_

_One of the Guards snorted. "Ouihk uha, ku pylg du ouin vysemo. Oui dfu - dyga ouin cecdan pylg fedr oui. Drec ec hu bmyla vun lremtnah."_

_"What the hell are they saying?" Riku swore to himself quietly. He nearly jumped a mile in his own skin when a hand slid into his._

_"Now you will understand."_

_Riku looked down to find Geni there, standing next to him and holding his hand. "Where were you before? Keldar and Ryland spoke in words I could understand, so why –"_

_"Just listen – you will understand."_

_" – and for that matter, I am not little!" the little girl shouted indignantly. "I'm already 63!"_

_"That doesn't matter Cieli," the older boy said quickly. "What matters is her majesty shouldn't have to leave! Why can't she stay here with us? So what if she's an outsider? None of us care!"_

_"His Majesty King Keldar has already announced the annulment of his engagement. If that person does not reign, they cannot stay – those are the laws, which all of you should already have learned in school."_

_"Guard, enough," Ryland called from atop the moving platform. "Escort them off of the road before they hurt themselves."_

_"Yes sir! Now, all three of you, _move._" The chocobo's and their riders moved closer to the three children, forcing them to back up._

_"No!" the little girl shrieked, before she started crying._

_The older boy picked her up and backed away slowly. "This isn't right," he gritted through clenched teeth, "and you all know it." He backed up, before turning around and shouting. "It isn't a crime to miss your home! It isn't a crime to miss your family! So why is Genevieve being punished for wanting to see the universe where she was born in again?"_

_"Young man, enough," Lilith, this time, stepped in. "Go to your home."_

_Suddenly the shorter of the two boys spoke. "Everyone already knows, so stop acting so tough!" he shouted with clenched hands towards the monarchs. "Elwen told me all about it!"_

_Geni stiffened next to Riku. "Is it still painful to relive this?" he asked her quietly._

_She nodded, squeezing his hand a little tighter._

_On the rolling platform, the other Geni stiffened as well. Keldar watched her with wary eyes. "You choose this," he reminded her in a quiet voice. When she didn't answer, he shook his head with a sigh. "Why did I ever agree to do it this way?"_

_Turning around he motioned to the young boy. "Tell me. What did Elwen tell you?" he called._

_The boy stuttered for a moment. "S-she t-told me…y-your maj-majesty…she told me that Queen Genevieve was a liar!" Suddenly explosions of talk came from all around. As they did, the boy became braver with his words. "Elwen told me the real reason that Queen Genevieve was forced to give up her throne, and that you made it so you wouldn't get married anymore!"_

_"And what is this reason?"_

_The boy stood defiant. "She wasn't a traitor, she isn't a bad person, and she isn't conspiring against anyone! Those are all lies that the Imperial Council made up after hearing the request that you two made!"_

_"Yes…" Keldar was getting tired of the long banter, especially now that the noise was growing. "And what was that request?"_

_"Queen Genevieve only wanted to go home! She wanted to see her family and friends again, because she was lonely!"_

_Well, that did it. The street erupted into a frenzy, with people shouting and yelling at the caravan. "Lies! You told us lies! You cleared her name before, why slander it now?" Many insults were shouted at the small caravan, from people on the street, and were soon followed by some of the Guards meant to protect them._

_"Let her go!" As soon as one shouted it, the rest soon followed after until it was being chanted up and down the street. "Let her go! Let her go! Let her go!"_

_Riku looked at the people, then back at Geni. "I see," he said quietly to her. "Were you as bad as Sora?"_

_"Not quite."_

_"Then why?"_

_"Why what?"_

_"Why has it caused such a commotion for you to want to come back? I thought you couldn't."_

_Geni shook her head. "It's not that I couldn't. It's what had to be done in order that I could."_

_"Was this part of that plan?"_

_"No…not quite. I had to become a regular person again, like all of these people around us. I couldn't be queen – I couldn't have the power that had been granted to me. This procession is on our way back to the Temple of Origins, to return what had been bestowed onto me."_

_"Oh."_

_"Just watch, alright?"_

_"Okay, okay." Riku watched. And what happened next surprised him – although, nothing could top the last few weeks he had spent in this place._

_The circle of people on top of the platform suddenly parted, and Geni could be seen clearly. Her hands were bound behind her, and shackles around her feet bound her to the platform. She couldn't move. One of the men stepped forward and pushed her to the ground. "She is a traitor! She only gave us sugar coated promises to change the future of our Realm! In reality, she was going to leave and take the power that protected us with her. She would leave us defenseless, that the darkness might come back and send us all into an eternal oblivion."_

_"That's a lie!" A young female voice shouted from over the crowd, and before anyone could stop her she had jumped up onto the platform. Elwen stood defiantly against them, glaring at them each in turn. "How is it so wrong to want to be with those you love, and with those who love you in return?" She stooped down and helped Geni to her knees. "We are your family, but they are your family too," she told her, looking into those ocean blue eyes. "Am I right?"_

_Geni looked away from Elwen._

_"Geni, I know you better than this. I was your first friend here, remember? You are my family, and I won't let you be punished for something you didn't do…again." Elwen stood up, helping Geni up with her. As she smiled, she turned towards the rest of the members of the Imperial Council who had been guarding her. "I will take her place."_

_Stunned silence greeted her statement. Even Keldar was surprised. "Wait…what did you just say?" he started out slowly._

_"I will take her place. I was in the trials as well, and if I hadn't lost to her, I would be in Genevieve's place right now. I am compatible with you as well Keldar, and I can make just a good a queen as Genevieve ever could."_

_"Elwen…don't do this…don't throw away your life for me…" Geni whispered into her ear._

_"I can do whatever I please with the life I am given, can I not?" Elwen grinned from ear to ear. "Lirona told you to follow your heart, and to follow your song…and my guess is that your harmony does not reside in this universe."_

_"Well…" one of the council members began to say._

_"No. Do not say it," the man who had pushed Geni down snarled._

_"She could though! Elwen is right – if Genevieve had not beaten her in the Trials of Compatibility, Elwen would be Queen right now with Keldar, and not Genevieve," another man spoke up._

_"Yes! That's right! Elwen can be queen!" Shouts of support now rang out where shouts of derision had only just been heard._

_"Elwen! Elwen! Elwen! Elwen!"_

_The area around them slowly faded away into the black nothingness, and Riku felt the lurching motion as before. However, a cool hand was still holding his when he opened his eyes a moment later and saw the waves lapping at the sand around them._

"We're…back?" he said, blinking.

Geni lowered her hand. "We never left." She looked up at him, before laughing gently. "I see the memories did affect you after all then."

"How? I –" but then he felt it. A warm trickling down the side of his cheek. Riku raised his free hand and placed it on the side of his face, feeling the lonely tear there. "You…you were sad."

"I was," Geni admitted, "but not for long."

"What happened? After all of that?"

"…Elwen took my place, as she had said. We went to the Temple of Origins, and she was crowned Queen. The power that rests there, the power that protects the Realm of the Keepers from darkness, chose her equally as it had chosen me." Geni brought her hand up and opened and closed it several times. "The power I had gained through it…was transferred to Elwen, and I became as I had been before. A normal, not-so-special teenage girl."

Riku laughed at her. "What?" Geni asked, looking up at him.

"You _are_ special. To me, to Sora, to your family, to Kairi, to all of our friends here, and not to mention the family and friends you have on other worlds…and in other universes." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "You are loved so much so, besides by me."

Geni blushed. "Riku…"

"Yes?"

She turned back up to face him, her left and his right hand still held together. With her free hand, she made some circular gestures and suddenly was standing eye to eye with him. "I love you. I always have, and I always will. You were the one who brought me out of the darkness, and showed me that I didn't have to fear the darkness. You showed me that I didn't have to carry all of my burdens by myself. You showed me how to open myself to others, to be myself, and not worry about who I was or what I lacked. Riku…I…I love you." And with that she leaned forward and kissed him. _Hard_.

Riku's brain short circuited. _Did…did she just…_?

His inner voice spoke up. _She finally told you that she loved you. After how many months? She loves you! Kiss her back!_

And he did. Riku wrapped his arms around her and spun her around him, leaving the pile of sand she had magically shored up under herself to slump back to the ground. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and laughed into their kiss. As they separated Riku swung her around some more, his joy being unable to express in words, only laughter.

They laughed together in the moonlight, under the same moon and same sky that they had met in long ago. What had once been a shade of a dream was now their reality, and nothing could ever separate them again. Two souls that had been lost in the darkness had found their light within each other.

"Finally," Sora said with a sigh. "It took them long enough."

"Be nice!" Kairi admonished him with a wink. "Some people can't follow their hearts as easily as you do."

He scratched his head. "Yeah, I suppose so." He grinned at her. "So, should we go and congratulate the happy couple?"

"Of course!" Selphie squealed. "I told you spying would pay off."

"Ya, and having to keep you tied to the chair so you wouldn't go run off and ruin it for them," Wakka added.

"Not fair! I was cool and collected."

"Which is why Mrs. Akeno had to show you pictures of Riku and Sora when they were little just to keep you quiet?" Tidus poked. "Really, you are such a girl."

"Thank you for that, Captain Obvious," Selphie said as she rolled her eyes. "Now let's go!"

She pushed against the back door so hard and so suddenly that they all went tumbling out head over heels…and straight down the hill only to rest at Riku and Geni's feet.

"…Sora?" Geni asked in confusion.

"Uh, he-he…hi," he said, trying to get up. "Wakka, get off me!"

"Tell that to big butt!"

"I do not have a big butt!"

"I meant Selphie, Tidus."

"Oh."

Geni could only laugh more, which made Riku laugh, which made all of them start laughing at themselves.

As she wiped a tear from her eye, Riku squeezed her to him. "I finally remembered," he whispered into her ear.

"What?" she whispered back, as they watched their friends untangle themselves from each other.

"Lirona said that you had to follow your song, which meant following your heart. I remembered the song now."

Geni blushed. "You did? How? No one knows that; it is something personal, something only _I_ know."

"Do you remember the first time we met? When we were dreaming…on the shore underneath the full moon? The tree with the roots spreading in every direction."

"Yes, I remember. Why?"

"That was the song that was on the breeze…a distant melody that never came closer, but was always I my ear…" He leaned down and his lips tickled her ear as he spoke…

~:~

_If we remember, that far far away  
the future is shining somewhere  
we only have to be afraid a little bit  
as we sit here under the beautiful blue sky._

_~:~_

_Beloved colors fill the window._

_~:~_

_If I can be with you again, before I turn  
to the future that is shining somewhere  
I want to see our time change  
underneath that large tree._

_~:~_

_There's someone I can't meet again, in this city  
So I open the window._

_~:~_

_If we remember, that far far away  
the future is shining somewhere  
we can sleep forever  
under the beautiful blue sky._

_~:~_

_Before I loved you  
I was a child born in winter.  
Sometimes, I have doubts about  
the things that started in the past.  
Oh I will never ever forget  
the picture you attached to that card.  
It's the things that we can't do  
that we long for so much._

_~:~_

"Welcome back to your old life, Geni," Riku told her as he straightened up. She looked up with tears in her eyes to see her twin brother, her friends, her family in the distance, watching her with caring eyes that didn't care who she was or why she came back. All they cared about was that she was there, with them, right now.

She shook her head, smiling her truest and most sincere smile since a time long ago. "This life never gets old. In fact, I think it's just beginning."

_~THE END~_


End file.
